Canadians flock to Mexico by the hundreds of thousands, in search of sun, sand and sea. But a much smaller group of tourists are more interested in the country’s ‘dark tourism’ opportunities, where they can tour dangerous slums, meet leftist rebels or experience the terror of being chased down by immigration agents.
For this group of mostly European tourists, these alternative tours offer a glimpse of Mexico that is light years away from the Cancun-style all-inclusive beach resort experience.
Donata Von Salviati told Reuters that she prefers such tours because they provide insight into the ‘real’ Mexico. "Things like this don't exist in Germany," she said.
Small Mexican tour operators are offering trips to remote mountain areas, home to leftist Zapatista rebels and to the most crime-ridden neighbourhoods of Mexico City. There’s even a ‘reality tourism’ experience in the central state of Hidalgo, where a tour run by local residents simulates the dangerous trek Mexicans and Central Americans undertake as they cross the U.S. border illegally.
It’s great if your idea of fun is a nocturnal trek through a state park without food or water, struggling to keep up with guides posing as ruthless human traffickers. Participants wade through a river and hide in scrub to elude the "migra," or U.S. immigration authorities. Those who are ‘caught’ are thrown in the back of a mock border patrol truck.
In Mexico City, foreign tourists are signing up for undercover tours in Tepito, a sprawling market area notorious for drug deals, underage prostitution and pirated goods. Cesar Estrada, head of Universal Travel told Reuters, "We tell visitors to dress simply. If they want pictures, our guides take them discreetly."
U.S. based Global Exchange Reality Tours brings travellers to meet with leftist rebels in Mexico's southern state of Chiapas, as part of its mission to educate tourists about social conditions in developing countries. Tour participants visit remote mountain areas home to members of the Zapatistas, the rebel group that spurred a peasant revolt in 1994 in support of indigenous rights.
There’s no danger that Mexico’s ‘dark tourism’ will ever come close to eclipsing the billions earned from the sunny side of the country’s tourism product. But for some, a little reality can be an enriching experience.
