How Mexico’s Once-Glamorous Resort Paradise Became a No-Go Zone

Tourist destinations can be like celebrities—after their moment in the spotlight, some fade into obscurity or even fall from grace entirely. This is exactly what happened to one Mexican coastal resort that once captured imaginations worldwide but now leaves its residents desperate to move away and tourists looking elsewhere for their vacation. Welcome—if we can call it that—to Acapulco!

Rise to Fame

Acapulco is a coastal resort city and port on Mexico’s Pacific coast, located in Guerrero state just a few hundred miles south of Mexico City. Nestled in a deep bay that’s almost entirely enclosed, the city made its name in the last century as a premier destination for American tourists who fell in love with its setting, year-round mild climate (despite the occasional hurricane), and pristine beaches.

The location truly is stunning—turquoise waters on one side and the towering peaks of the Sierra Madre del Sur mountains as a dramatic backdrop. Between them stretches the city itself, a long, narrow strip of buildings and neighborhoods ranging from upscale to working-class. And then there were Acapulco’s famous cliff divers at La Quebrada, launching themselves from towering heights into the churning waters below, much to tourists’ delight.

These natural assets quickly propelled the city to the top of American vacation wish lists from the 1950s through the 1990s. The population exploded from a few thousand to over 100,000 in record time, complete with all the hotels and amenities befitting a hot tourist destination.

While mass tourism was certainly part of the equation, Acapulco was also a playground for the jet set and celebrities, much like certain Caribbean islands or the French Riviera. The resort regularly hosted stars like Frank Sinatra, Elizabeth Taylor, John Wayne, Elvis Presley, Brigitte Bardot, and many others. In short, it was the place to be.

Until everything changed…

The Fall

While Acapulco’s future still looked bright at the end of the last century—with new investments, international connections, and a growing Mexican middle-class tourist market—the 21st century proved devastating for the city.

The culprit was the drug cartel wars that intensified in the early 2000s, hitting the resort city particularly hard. As a Pacific port, Acapulco became a key gateway for drugs flowing north from South America. Soon, murders, kidnappings, gang warfare, and pitched battles with police became part of daily life. By 2013, Acapulco was ranked the world’s second-most dangerous city, and even today it remains in the top 10 of such rankings.

Naturally, tourism suffered catastrophically. Within just a few years, visitor numbers plummeted so drastically that the city now welcomes hardly anyone. The situation isn’t helped by the fact that numerous governments, including Canada and France, strongly advise against “non-essential” travel to Acapulco—a warning that shows no signs of changing anytime soon.t de changer…