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The US State Department is currently advising against travel to six states in Mexico, giving them a level four advisory – Do Not Travel.
Seven other states in Mexico have been issued a Level Three warning – Reconsider Travel.
These travel tips may give Americans pause when considering whether or not to plan a trip to Mexico.
But should Americans really be concerned about these travel warnings and avoid traveling to Mexico?
Here’s what you need to know about current travel advice for Mexico:
“Do Not Travel” Advice for Mexico
It is important to note that the Level Four – Do Not Travel alert is not a travel restriction. It simply means that the US State Department strongly recommends against travel to a specific destination.
However, Americans are still free to travel to these countries.
Currently, the US State Department suggests avoiding all travel to six Mexican states: Colima, Guerrero, Michoacan, Sinaloa, Tamaulipas and Zacatecas.
While there are certainly areas in every state that Americans would like to avoid, these are places that tourists would not visit in the first place.
Applying a broad “Do Not Travel” warning to entire states ignores that there are many places within those states that are very safe and offer a lot of tourist value.
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Mexico’s Ministry of Tourism has even asked the US State Department to review how the travel advisory is being implemented.
For example, although the entire state of Sinaloa is designated as Level Four – Do Not Travel “due to threats of crime and kidnapping,” there are a number of places in Sinaloa, such as Mazatlán, that are very safe and beautiful.
Similarly, Acapulco and Zihuatanejo in Guerrero, the monarch butterfly reserve in Michoacán, and the city of Colima in Colima are safe for tourists to visit.
Reconsider Travel Tips for Mexico
As with Level Four – Do Not Travel alerts, a Level Three – Reconsider Travel alert from the US State Department is not a restriction, but rather a recommendation to avoid non-essential travel to certain countries.
In Mexico, seven states currently fall under a “Reconsider Travel” alert, including some that are extremely popular with tourists, such as Baja California and Guanajuato.
If American travelers were to “reconsider travel” in these countries, they could miss the stunning beauty of the colorful city of Guanajuato or the wonderful beaches of Cabo, which was recently ranked as the best destination in Mexico.
In fact, research also shows that Cabo is also one of the safest destinations in all of Mexico.
Once again, these travel tips lack nuance and are overly cautious about destinations that are completely safe for tourists to visit.
Should Americans be worried about Mexico travel alerts?
According to Kashlee Kucheran, founder of Travel Off Path and longtime Mexican expat, the answer is no:
“I think the US State Department has unfairly placed a Level Four – Do Not Travel advisory on the entire state of Sinaloa, including the resort town of Mazatlán, which definitely does not deserve such a harsh warning.
I’ve been living in Mazatlán for four years now, and I personally feel much safer here than in most of the United States. Crime in general, but especially against tourists, in Mazatlán is almost non-existent. The people here are extremely kind, welcoming to foreigners and very interested in a peaceful and happy life.”
While it is always important to exercise caution and take basic safety precautions when traveling to Mexico or anywhere else in the world, Americans should not be deterred from visiting worthwhile destinations just because of the State Department’s travel alerts. of the USA.
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This article originally appeared on TravelOffPath.com
