More than 8,000 soldiers from the national guard, navy and army are deployed in the seaside towns and on the roads of the country which are experiencing a high tourist influx during this Easter holiday period. It is a measure that follows the murder of at least eight people earlier this week on the beaches of Acapulco and Cancun, two destinations favored by foreign and Mexican tourists.
With our correspondent in Mexico, Gwendolina Duval
Although surprising, the scene has become a regular sight on the beaches: heavily armed soldiers carry out patrols between tourists enjoying and bathing. It will be like this in Cancun, and in Tulum on the Caribbean, in Veracruz, as well as Puerto Vallarta, Acapulco and Mazatlán on the Pacific coast, until April 16.
The presence of the armed forces is not hidden, on the contrary, it is clearly visible. It is a question of displaying increased surveillance by the authorities to dissuade criminal groups from acting and carrying out their activities in tourist areas in the eyes of all and paradoxically, the aim is also to reassure tourists. During Holy Week, these coastal towns experience a large influx of national and foreign holidaymakers.
However, the United States has issued security alerts on the Riviera Maya and Acapulco, as several regions of the Pacific coast are already part of the areas not recommended for American tourists. Despite a complicated security situation, with around 80 daily homicides, Mexico is still one of the ten most visited countries in the world.