Most Canadians say they won't be spending their tourist dollars in Mexico because of safety concerns, ranking the tourist destination last among six vacation spots, according to an Ipsos Reid poll conducted for Postmedia News and Global News.

The poll was conducted after recent reports covering attacks on Canadians vacationing in Mexico.

Seventy-four per cent of Canadians surveyed believe Mexico has a "serious safety and security problem" and said they were "hesitant to book a trip to Mexico," the poll revealed. Twenty-six per cent of those surveyed said the attacks were "isolated incidents."

"Despite reports suggesting that most other Caribbean destinations have higher crime rates in tourist areas," only 29 per cent of respondents said Mexico is a safe vacation destination.

Hawaii topped the list of favoured sun destinations, with 95 per cent of Canadians surveyed saying they believe it is the safest out of six destinations. Florida ranked second at 92 per cent, followed by Cuba (78 per cent), Dominican Republic (72 per cent), Jamaica (64 per cent) and Mexico (29 per cent).

The Ipsos Reid poll was conducted between Jan. 30 and Feb. 1 with an online survey of 1,002 adults.

Pollsters used weighting to balance demographics to ensure the sample's composition reflects the Canadian population.

The poll has a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

According to the Foreign Affairs Department, 15 Canadians were killed or died in suspicious circumstances in Mexico between 2006 and 2010.

Most recently, Calgarian Sheila Nabb was found badly beaten inside a Mazatlan resort on Jan. 22.

On Jan. 3, Robin Wood, a Saltspring Island resident, was shot and killed after two robbers confronted him and a friend in a house near Melaque, 200 kilometres south of Puerto Vallarta.