Picture this….a young 30 year old Canadian man tanning in his tight Euro bathing suit on Coco Beach, Playa Del Carmen with his ex-girlfriend and two adopted street dogs. The soft white sand trickling through his toes as he listens to the waves when suddenly, 2 atvs carrying several life guards and federal police surrounded a couple only meters away. If this wasn’t enough, 4 heavily armed soldiers form the Mexican army arrive, one of which carrying a gun that would make even Rambo jealous. Would you be nervous? A few years ago I would have answered yes, but this past Sunday I wasn’t.

My Mexican adventures began several years ago as I was leading product development for our villa rental company that was expanding in this region. With each trip, I would return home with a clearer understanding on how things worked in Mexico. For example, the military check points you’ll encounter from your drive to Playa Del Carmen from Cancun’s airport are nothing to worry about so long as you don’t look like “Joaquin Guzman Loera” (Google him and you’ll understand). I had learned that the military is there to fight the drug war and send a clear message that Mr. Calderon is serious about the problem. The army isn’t there to extort money from tourists. This drug war is largely a government vs. narco affair where the violence we often read about occurs in Mexican towns along the US border, not in Playa Del Carmen. The cash cow in this region isn’t drugs, its tourism.

The government is very serious about protecting tourism. I witnessed this during the winter while living in Playa Del Carmen when the now famous swine flu outbreak occurred in Mexico City. I began hearing about it as friends and family forwarded e-mails with links to articles warning me that it wasn’t safe in Mexico. They suggested that I leave immediately. I had to remind people that Mexico is a pretty big country; Playa Del Carmen is roughly a two and a half hour flight from Mexico City. It was like saying to someone living in New York to leave the United States because there’s an outbreak in Miami! In an effort to quickly restore confidence the Mexican government ordered all public buildings to close for a long weekend. Everyone was advised to clean and see a doctor if you had any symptoms. A few days later all stores were opened but the damage was done. Tourism came to a screeching halt as airlines and tourists cancelled flights and trips to Mexico.

2009 has been tough for not only Mexican tourism but all markets. Let’s not kid ourselves, everyone was affected by the financial crisis but in addition to this, Mexico has had to fight the swine flu and the perception that the violent drug wars are everywhere. Thankfully the Mexican government has been aggressively promoting the region and the truth is that despite all of these challenges there’s one thing that this country has going for it…..value.

Playa Del Carmen is about an hours drive south of world famous Cancun. The region, known as the Riviera Maya, has an excellent selection of both affordable and luxurious accommodations. Want a $4,000 US / night villa, no problem. Prefer a $15 US / night beach hut, got that too. Here in Playa Del Carmen, I can eat fresh tuna tacos at Los Aguachiles and wash it all down with a few beers for $9 US….tip included. Don’t feel like walking to the grocery store; grab a taxi for $1.80 US. Feeling a little stressed because you feel guilty for tanning all day, how about an hour massage at Veronica Gold for $35 US.

After spending the summer in Montreal I’ve returned to Playa Del Carmen where I’ll attempt to dodge my 3rd consecutive Canadian winter. It wasn’t long ago when I was receiving e-mails about the swine flu, now the roles seem to be reversed. A quick look at my Facebook news feed reveals that the talk in North America seems to be about the swine flu and whether or not to get vaccinated. After enduring a lot of bad press in early 2009, Mexico seems to be safe for now. The local buzz here isn’t about the swine flu, but about the new beach club that opened on Sunday. So long as the government keeps protecting tourism, the beers stay cheap, and tourists see the value in vacationing here…..Playa Del Carmen will bounce back.