Trip Advisor Says Puerto Vallarta is Safe
Puerto Vallarta is said to be a very safe area with an unusually low crime rate. The area makes most of its living through tourism, so there is a definite interest in keeping tourists (and residents) safe and secure. There are even special “ tourist police,” who wear white safari-esque outfits with black shoulder pads, are bi-lingual and will offer directions and assistance to those who need it, in addition to general security. Additionally, most hotels and resorts have their own security.
One thing to be careful of Puerto Vallarta is crossing the street, as drivers here tend to be on the aggressive side. However, some street crossings in the center of town are also manned by police.
Some people are concerned about kidnappings in Mexico, and this is a growing problem. However, tourists are not targeted by anti-government sentiment, and foreigners are not the targets of these kidnappings. Many people say they feel safer walking in Puerto Vallarta at night than they do in their home cities.
Puerto Vallarta is also said to have the safest drinking water in all of Mexico.
As in any other beach area, visitors should take normal safety precautions around the water, especially as the ocean can be a bit rough in the area.
It should be noted that the USA Travel Warning is for areas far away from Puerto Vallarta (the closest is several hours) so should not be seen to be in any way a discouragement for those considering a trip to this very safe tourist area.
To see comments on Trip advisor about this article: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g150793-s206/Puerto-Vallarta:Mexico:Health.And.Safety.html
With WWIII [economic] in progress, and certainly the government and drug cartel war in Mexico, travel advisory for Americans in the U.S. are told to avoid Puerto Vallarta due to the drug cartels in Jalisco state. Take a look at the gambling casinos in Puerto Vallarta, as it becomes another Las Vegas .
The older Time Share Resorts have placed guards on the entrance and exit ways of their now mostly concrete walls around side entrance ways, and guests are required to wear color coded plastic tape bracelets.
It did not use to be this way. All this is new. We formerly were told that we could walk down the beach and visit the pools in the adjoining hotels. All inclusive is encouraged and evening stage shows are provided to keep you in the hotels at night. A nice way of saying, go out if you must at night, but everything is provided here.
While the local buses now have late operating hours, that was not the way in the past when the buses were mostly used by the local Mexicans that did not travel out at night. But with so many tourists going out at night and requesting the bus service , it was stared some years ago.
You formerly did not see aggressive panhandlers (beggars) , however with the high prices due to the tourist trade, you will see them. I have survived vacationing in Puerto Vallarta for the past 36 years, and still go out at night, and feel pretty safe, especially since so many people know me here..