TripAdvisor censorship over crime (Cabo)

[PamMo]

I vacation regularly in Mexico, and follow TripAdvisor forums for the latest travel tips. I just have to vent a bit over TripAdvisor's policy of deleting forum posts/discussions regarding crime, and am so impressed by TUG's approach. Tuggers have been able to report news and voice their concerns, in mostly civil, thoughtful discussions. When information is censored, rumors get out of hand. I'm in Cabo all month, and am not concerned for my safety, but I do appreciate being informed.

In the last couple of days, there have been six murder victims' bodies found in Los Cabos - suspected Sinaloa drug cartel casualties. Over the weekend, there was a shootout in a poor area of town, and a 14-year old girl was caught in the crossfire. Police fired shots at suspected gang members today in San Jose, and captured a suspect in the lobby of the Hyatt Ziva. This week is a major festival for the patron saint of San Jose, and police are on heightened alert. Tourists have not been impacted, but they might be wondering at all the police presence.

You can google the incidences, or try this link to the TripAdvisor Cabo thread that may soon be completely deleted: https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTop...Cabo_San_Lucas_Los_Cabos_Baja_California.html

 

[Phydeaux]

You should be damned glad you're there, and not in Chicago!

 

[oldbuyer]

There had been an increase in gang/cartel activity in the last 6-8 months in Cabo. There was a hit in January near the bull ring in Cabo. The locals are aware but this is not flaunted in front of the tourists as Cabo is so tourist dependent. Military presence has increased to a level of where it was about 3 years ago and the crime has occurred amongst Mexican Nationals not tourists.

This is why I no longer am a contributor to the TA forum. It's all about advertising for the resorts who are on their booking site. TA is not a good source for actual news in Cabo just a Pollyanna advertising scheme for the hotels and resorts. NO BAD NEWS

BTW 6 dead in one day in Los Cabos is about 3 times the daily murder rate in Chicago with 20 times the population.

We continue to travel and eat in the Colonias and just use common sense. Be polite and respectful, no bling, no wads of cash, don't wander the streets late at night intoxicated. Same as we do everywhere else in the world (and at home). It's just living. Even breathing is not risk free.

 

[saabman]

When referencing the killings in Cabo everyone likes to point to Chicago as the most dangerous (i.e. murder per capita) city in the U.S. but it is not. St. Louis takes that prize. In fact Chicago does not even crack the top 50 most dangerous cities in the world. Acapulco with a 2016 murder rate of 104.73 per 100K population is the 4th most dangerous city in the world. Chicago is Disneyland by comparison.

 

[BoaterMike]

My former boss, now retired, was fishing on the beach in Cabo. He walked down the beach about 3 miles from his hotel. Should not have done this. He was approached and robbed at gunpoint. At one point, the robber grabbed a fishing knife and held it to my boss's throat. Lesson to be learned is certainly not to venture off by yourself no matter how familiar you are with the area.

 

[easyrider]

I think the crime has to do with peso value and not as many opportunities for criminals in Mexico to do business as usual. Recently the US / Mexican border has been harder for criminals to cross and with some of the main players busted, there is a definite void in leadership, leading to alot of violence in the border area. These killings include Mexican police forces, criminals mostly, some bystanders and in some cases, very near popular tourist areas.

http://www.banderasnews.com/1010/nr-mexviolence29.htm

Then there is the price of gas spiking coupled with the low value of the peso. This is likely why there is an uptic in regular street crime. People are desperate so they commit desperate deeds. It is only going to get worse, imo.

Even so, I haven't changed my plans on heading to Mexico. I don't think the crime is as bad as it was 10 years ago. I actually think it is less.

Bill

 

[Ty1on]

Going to NV and PV, not worried about it. Just mind our own business, we could get robbed in Las Vegas, and if we happen to get caught in the middle of gang violence, that would be a lightning strike.

 

[dioxide45]

I have just started using the TripAdvisor forums. They certainly are not very user friendly. Very poorly designed forum software IMO. It is a pain that you don't know what threads you have posted to or which ones have new posts since your last visit. They need to upgrade to Xenforo!

As to the topic, it is rather disturbing that they delete posts like this. I think it is important for people to know all the facts so they can make educated decisions on where to take their families for vacations. However, I think people still need to realize the realities of the situation and the fact that there is very low risk to them and their families when traveling to Mexico.

 

[bjones9942]

My issue with Trip Advisor is that they allow users to gang up on each other and delete posts. From what I've heard, once between 3 and 5 users 'report' a post it will be automatically deleted. The Mazatlán forum was once very popular and had a lot of activity. Now it's a ghost town. The Puerto Vallarta forum took a big hit a few months back when they banned one of the mainstay's. Bottom line is that it's Trip Advisor's site, and they can do whatever they want. They're travel related, not crime related, and their users are prolific at 'report' 'report' 'report' if you speak ill of their favorite place to vacation.

Speaking to the recent violence in Los Cabos ... there's a drug war going on. Not just in Sinaloa, or Jalisco, or wherever else the State Department warns you not to go. Are they targeting tourists? No. Do tourists sometimes get caught in the crossfire? Yes, but so rarely it's not worth mentioning. If you want some fun reading, look at travel warnings issued by other countries about visiting the United States.

 

[dioxide45]

I have been following the Barbados forum lately as we have a trip planned to there for next May. This situation is real bad in that forum. There is a resort that has been "under construction" for a few years. The resort is basically just a shell right now, but some well known travel companies in the UK are still selling this resort with the promise of a certain opening date. People in the forum that live in Barbados have been very outspoken by what appears to clearly be a scam. TripAdvisor is very quick to completely delete these threads. They don't want any negativity shown in the industry. The problem is that more and more people are buying in to the resort not knowing that it likely won't materialize and they will be left with limited or no options when their reservations are cancelled.

 

[LisaRex]

I used to love TA, but since they've gotten into the rental market, they've killed their appeal. Sorry, but when you have a financial interest in quashing negative reviews, you destroy that which made you unique. Ditto for WizardPub books on Hawaii (e.g. Maui Revealed). I can understand the temptation to make a lot of money via rentals, but they can't even pretend to be unbiased anymore.

Of course, that opens the door for another website to take over that space...

 

[davidvel]

I used to love TA, but since they've gotten into the rental market, they've killed their appeal. Sorry, but when you have a financial interest in quashing negative reviews, you destroy that which made you unique. Ditto for WizardPub books on Hawaii (e.g. Maui Revealed). I can understand the temptation to make a lot of money via rentals, but they can't even pretend to be unbiased anymore.

Of course, that opens the door for another website to take over that space...

Yes. TA is bogus. When were reported the specific details of our son splitting his head at a resort, including pictures, they refused to post the review. They want it all roses and sunshine, to promote their interests.

 

[taffy19]

This is why I do not read the TA forum and the same for Angies List. I would trust TUG more to read the reviews and comments.

 

[LisaRex]

Another rough week for Los Cabos tourism. Looks like the drug wars have taken 3 more victims.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/three-killed-mexico-cabos-beach-shootout-014904827.html

 

[rpennisi]

Are people not going to the Florida Keys because two were shot and killed the other day?
Leaving for Mexico Sunday.

 

[LisaRex]

Are people not going to the Florida Keys because two were shot and killed the other day?

If there was a semi-automatic shootout involving rival drug gangs on a beach crowded with tourists in the Keys, you can betcha people would cancel their vacation plans to Florida.

But it's interesting that people always mention US cities, as if they are magically insulated from the negative correlation between tourism and crime. Not so. I just read a 2015 article that opined that one of my favorite cities, Chicago, is still bypassed by international tourists because it suffers from an image problem due to its association with organized crime.

"Chicago is still, at best, a mystery to foreign tourists," said brand expert Bobby Calder, a professor at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management. "We're still dealing with Al Capone, even in 2015." (snip)
Some observers suggest that news reports of (Chicago's) struggles with violent crime have not helped either. "A perception of crime often stops people in their tracks," Dev said."

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/...-tourism-chicago-0322-biz-20150320-story.html

P.S. Al Capone died in 1947.

 

[bbodb1]

Why does this just feel right here:

Well there are certain sections of New York, Major, that I wouldn't advise you to try to invade...

 

[PamMo]

Wow. Palmilla is a beautiful beach, and is very popular with locals and tourists alike. The wonderful One and Only Palmilla resort is right next door. This makes me so sad. I love Cabo and hate to see this sort of thing happening.

TripAdvisor continues to censor comments on their forums with this heading:
Topics of Violence/Safety Being Removed or Closed

 

[dioxide45]

My issue with Trip Advisor is that they allow users to gang up on each other and delete posts. From what I've heard, once between 3 and 5 users 'report' a post it will be automatically deleted.

This is becoming a big problem in the few forums I follow. A rather innocent thread started looking for advice is closed along with many of the following posts. They really shouldn't allow the first post to be deleted in such a manner.

 

[klpca]

This is becoming a big problem in the few forums I follow. A rather innocent thread started looking for advice is closed along with many of the following posts. They really shouldn't allow the first post to be deleted in such a manner.

That is ridiculous. It gives too much power to a few people.

I have given up on Tripadvisor forums because some of the "local experts" have such an axe to grind on people/places/things. On the Big Island forum, they absolutely hate Kailua-Kona and actively discourage anyone from staying there. If you try to defend it or just say that you stayed there and had a good time, they just tell you that you are wrong. FWIW, I live in a tourist town. What tourists like is different than what I like. They love restaurants that I have never heard of, much less visited over the past 35 years. A local perspective is definitely helpful, but you cannot discount the experience of the visitors. In our area, people happily go to Old Town to have an "authentic experience" that is not authentic, imho, but they enjoy it. Who am I to rain on their parade?

I believe that both Yelp and Tripadvisor shake down businesses to get money, so their results are definitely suspect. But if I see a business with a lot of reviews, and then see that the reviewers themselves write a lot of reviews, then perhaps I can trust them to some extent.

Btw, spent a week in Cabo in July. Had a great time. Did not get shot. Will return.

 

[dioxide45]

The Barbados forum is big on the debate of AI (all inclusive) vs SC (self catering). There are many locals that want to push people to self catering even though there are those that love the AI experience. While I don't like AI myself, I can't rally fault those that do. Of course, there are perhaps better places to go for AI, like DR or MX. But it seems that anyone suggesting AI or asking about AI get shot down and it seems that the threads end up getting closed and the posts being deleted. Random posts in a thread may remain, but they really don't make any sense. Trip Advisor needs active moderators, perhaps even volunteers if they don't want to pay them to keep the peace and not rely on automated algorithms to determine when posts and threads get deleted or closed.