Mexico travel warning mapped
To help our readers better understand where dangers really exist in Mexico and to demonstrate that most parts of the country -- including destinations popular with U.S. tourists -- remain safe, we have updated our map that presents the travel warning from the U.S. State Department visually. View the map here.
Mexican tourism officials welcomed the changes in the latest travel warning issued by the U.S. State Department on Feb. 8.
Although the warning, which replaced one that had been in place since April 22, 2011, cautioned against nonessential travel to areas within 16 of Mexico's 31 states and one federal district due to the growing drug violence and the spread of cartels, the wording this time was far more specific and the warnings more targeted than in the past.
Mexico had complained that last year's warning was difficult for travel agents and consumers to understand, that the wording was vague and named cities or states at times and portions of states at other times, leaving the impression that an entire state posed a security risk for travelers when, in fact, it was a single city or small portion of a state.
Apparently the State Department took note of the concerns.
In response to the new travel warning, Rodolfo Lopez-Negrete, COO of the Mexico Tourism Board, said, "The Mexico Tourism Board has long advocated for travel advisories which abide by three key tenants: context, clarity and specificity. The revised U.S. State Department travel advisory regarding Mexico adheres to these principles and should serve as a model for the rest of the world."
The new, more carefully worded warning provides a state-by-state security assessment, listing specific cities, highways and border areas considered unsafe for travel and clearly indicating which cities and states are considered safe for travel and do not fall within the warning zone.
"Resort areas and tourist destinations in Mexico generally do not see the levels of drug-related violence and crime reported in the border region and in areas along major trafficking routes," the warning said.
No warnings are in effect for the states of Quintana Roo (Cancun, Cozumel, Playa del Carmen, Riviera Maya and Tulum), Baja California South (Cabo San Lucas), Guanajuato (San Miguel de Allende and Leon), Oaxaca (Oaxaca, Huatulco and Puerto Escondido), the Yucatan and Chiapas (San Cristobal de las Casas) as well as the Riviera Nayarit (although travel is not advised in the northern region of the state of Nayarit), Mexico City, Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara.
Likewise, the travel warning stated that "no advisory is in effect" for Campeche, Estado de Mexico (Toluca) and Hidalgo.
Travelers are advised to stay within the tourist areas of Acapulco, Ixtapa and Zihuatanejo in Guerro and to avoid the northwest and south. Mazatlan visitors should stay within the Zona Dorada and historical town center (the state of Sinaloa is a center of cartel activity). Caution also is advised in Monterrey, where travel through much of the state of Nuevo Leon is not recommended.
The warning points out that "millions of U.S. citizens safely visit Mexico each year for study, tourism and business. There is no evidence that Transnational Criminal Organizations have targeted U.S. visitors and residents based on their nationality."
The full text of the warning, along with maps, is available at http://travel.state.gov.
For Caribbean and Mexico news, follow Gay Nagle Myers on Twitter @gnmtravelweekly.