The advice in the article below is pertinent for travelers in all of Latin America, some 3 years ago some travelers came to El Salvador to Surf, and they left all their belongings including Passports and Cash on the shore while they enjoyed the waves, when they returned their valuables were gone and sadly they bloqged online that El Salvador was A nation of thieves, Costa Rica has long had sugar coated PublicRelations on many travel articles and web sites that the country was an almost crime free paradise for tourists, so people let their guard down while in Costa Rica and sometimes get robbed, Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua as well as Costa Rica have large Tourist Police forces and the Tourist Police in El Salvador Policía De Turismo Politur escort visitors every day except Monday, when National Parks and Museums are closed, up the summits of two Volcanoes as well as escort tour groups, backpackers and independent travelers with common sense and street smarts need not worry...when trekking around lock up your valuables in your lodging place..if the hotel or hostel has no safe or lockbox find one that does! Saving $4 on a room may cost you $4,000! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Norberto Arredondo, from Antigua, Guatemala, arrived at the Pacific coastal town of Nosara two days ago to vacation with his family. Shortly after, thieves robbed valuables left momentarily unattended on the beach. “This is a beautiful country and we thought that there would be no trouble if we left our things while we swam in the sea when this happened. Despite this, Costa Rica is still a great place,” Arredondo told The Tico Times. On Monday, two teenagers in the central Pacific beach town of Jacó threatened a U.S. woman with a knife, stealing her purse, $300 and a cellphone before police arrested the thieves, according to a statement from the Public Security Ministry. Cases like these are not uncommon along Costa Rica’s famous beaches and mountain destinations, but despite these unfortunate events, Tourism Police Director Xinia Vásquez told The Tico Times in a telephone interview that crimes against tourists have shown a downward trend since 2010. Vásquez, citing figures from the Judicial Investigation Police, said that the number of thefts — the most common crime committed against tourists — dropped 6.5 percent from 735 between January and November 2013 to 687 during the same period in 2014. In San José, the ministry reported a 55 percent decrease in thefts in December 2014 compared to the same month in 2013. Costa Rica remains a relatively safe destination and boasts the region’s lowest homicide rate, but travelers are still targeted by thieves. Vásquez recommended that tourists keep a close eye on their belongings and not leave them unattended, like Arredondo’s family did. The police director advised that guests take preventive measures, like not walking alone at night, and ensuring that any excursions they do — from zip lining to horseback riding — be with a a registered agency. The National Police and Tourism Police have increased their presence in tourist destinations for the tourism high season, which lasts from November through the Easter holiday at the end of April. Police said they have mobilized 3,000 officers, 350 of whom are tourist police, to heavily touristed areas like San José, Guanacaste, Puntarenas and Limón, according to a statement from the ministry. ticotimes.net/…/crime-against-tourists-down-say-…
Posted on: Wed, 14 Jan 2015 02:02:11 +0000
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