IS IT SAFE TO TRAVEL TO CANCUN IN 2026?

Whether it’s for Spring Break or a sun-filled vacation, travelers ask, “Is it safe to travel to Cancun?” The answer is generally a definite “yes.” But Cancun’s size and popularity makes it hard to generalize.

Is Cancun Safe For Travelers? What You Need To Know 

The area around Cancun is among the safest in all of Mexico. However, because most measures depict Mexico as unsafe, it can be hard to determine just how safe Cancun is. 

Consider these facts: 

• According to a Stanford University report cited by the Grand Velas Resort in Riviera Maya, the murder rate for Americans in Cancun is 1.83 per 100,000 visitors, which is lower than the murder rate in many U.S. cities. 
• Numbeo ranks Merida, the nearest large city to Cancun, safer than our current world’s safest city, Amsterdam.  
• BHTP travelers placed Cancun 36th out of 40 cities in our latest Safest Cities rankings. 
• GeoSure Global’s rankings give Cancun a composite score of 47 – not great. 

What Travelers Can Do To Stay Safe In Cancun 

Travelers looking to stay safe in Cancun should: 

• Rely on trusted sources to determine where to go and what to do 
• Be alcohol-smart 
• Be water-smart 
• Not walk alone at night 
• Avoid flashing jewelry or other valuables 
• Protect travels with travel insurance 

Why Cancun Keeps Increasing In Popularity

The number of American passengers flying into Cancun has increased steadily since 2015, with estimates of American visitors to Cancun in 2023 exceeding 5.6 million.

“With its gorgeous Caribbean beaches, more than 1,000 properties, a plethora of entertainment options, and amazing history, Cancun just gives you more bang for the buck,” says former award-winning travel advisor and blogger Cat Zuniga, who has visited Cancun many times with her family.

Short flights from hubs like Houston drive much of the tourist activity, and the affordability of many Cancun resorts puts a long weekend getaway within reach for many travelers.

Photo by Samantha Sophia on Unsplash

What Are The Best Ways For Travelers To Stay Safe In Cancun?

The things travelers should be aware of in Cancun are many of the same things they should look out for at any resort area: Don’t wander too far astray at night by yourself. Don’t drink and swim. Split up important papers, credit cards, and cash. Trust your instincts.

Specifically, travelers should:

1. Use common sense

“People on vacation just need to be more alert. They’re doing things they wouldn’t do outside of their own homes, let alone their own country,” Zuniga says. “Don’t be foolish and throw common sense out the door when you go into vacation mode.”

2. Ask someone who knows Cancun

Know – or ask – about the safe parts of town, the safest ways of getting around, and which clubs are okay. “If you go out and explore, it may be wise to proceed cautiously,” Zuniga says. “Proper research is important.”

Photo by Dragan Miljkovic on Unsplash

3. Be smart about alcohol

This is difficult, but necessary. “Some people start drinking the moment they get to the airport,” Zuniga says. “They’re drinking on the plane, and right outside of the baggage claim there are huts serving alcohol. Then their driver is serving alcohol, there’s alcohol in the lobby bar, they go down to the pool and drink, and they pass out and drown.”

No one’s expecting abstinence when you vacation in Cancun, but to minimize the effects of alcohol Zuniga recommends that you:

• Get a reasonable amount of rest.
• Spend some time out of the sun. Sunshine leads to dehydration, which intensifies alcohol’s effects.
• Cool down. Too much heat causes the same problems as too much sun.
• Drink a bottle of water for every drink you intake.

“Be sensible,” Zuniga adds. “Don’t be the person that everyone doesn’t want to be.”

4. Consider an all-inclusive destination

When it comes to choosing a safe destination from the hundreds of choices, Zuniga notes that many all-inclusive properties, like most hotels and resorts in Cancun, have really stepped up their security measures.

“Resorts have done a really great job securing their properties,” she says. “When you pull up to the gate, if your name’s not on the clipboard, if you don’t have a room number and/or a wristband, they won’t even let you pass through.”

And the best part from a safety standpoint, according to Zuniga: Once you arrive at an all-inclusive resort, you don’t have to worry about getting from one place to another. Everything’s right there, simply awaiting your arrival.

Photo by Roberto Nickson on Unsplash

5. Stick with friends

When going somewhere unfamiliar, arrive and leave with your friends. Agree on a place to meet if you’re separated, and consider creating a code word or signal if you’re feeling uncomfortable.

6. Be water-smart

In addition to the basic recommendation to not drink and swim:

• Watch for rip currents and riptides.
• Swim where there’s a lifeguard.
• Follow posted warnings about dangerous marine life.
• Don’t dive headfirst into shallow areas.
  
  

7. Leave the bling home

You’re on vacation; there’s no need to show off. Flashy gold jewelry attracts the wrong kind of attention.

8. Don’t obsess over Zika

Zika has largely been out of the headlines lately, but it still can be found in and around Mexico. The Centers for Disease Control has backed off its recommendation that pregnant women not travel to the country, but urges caution when traveling to countries where Zika is found.

However, Zuniga notes that the incidence rates of Zika in and around Cancun are some of the lowest in Mexico, and adds that “the reason you’ve heard nothing about Zika is that there’s nothing to report.”

Other Ways Of Staying Safe In Cancun

If you want to take Cancun travel safety to the next level, follow these simple tips.

1. Pack travel health insurance

Accidents happen – even in Cancun.

U.S. domestic health insurance or Medicare/Medicaid generally won’t help with medical care outside the U.S. Mexican hospitals generally require payment up front by cash, credit card, debit card, or bank transfer. However, they usually accept payment under travel insurance policies from a company like Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection. Contact your travel insurer if you have a medical emergency; they’ll work with you and providers to coordinate care and payment.

2. Watch the weather

There’s a slight risk of tropical storms, hurricanes, and tropical depressions from June through November, and Zuniga says storms have gotten more intense over the last several years.

However, structures in Cancun are required to have shelters, so there's at least a place to go should severe weather strike.

3. Cover your adventures

Cancun is a great jumping-off point for adventures up and down Mexico’s Gulf Coast and into the interior of the Yucatan Peninsula.

If your Cancun vacation is more on the active side, make sure to buy travel insurance with $250,000 or more of emergency medical evacuation coverage – because you never know.

Bottom Line: You Can Have A Great - And Safe - Time In Cancun

Everyone has a vested interest in making travel to Cancun fun, exciting, memorable, and above all safe. By following a few common-sense tips, you should have a great time in Cancun.

And perhaps you'll agree with Cat Zuniga when she says “Cancun is my favorite destination. Without question.”