Travel advisories for Mexico: What are the most dangerous areas?

• The State Department issues travel advisories for Mexico.
• There is extreme violence in some parts of the country.
• This comes in the wake of the kidnapping and murder of US citizens.

The State Department issues travel advisories for Mexico due to the extreme violence in some parts of the country. This comes in the wake of the recent kidnapping and murder of US citizens. Find out which places to avoid in the near future.

Mexico has 32 states and the Biden administration has «do not travel» advisories in effect for six of them. Now that summer vacations are just around the corner, Americans should take note of what areas to avoid.

TRAVEL ADVISORIES FOR MEXICO

The US has «do not travel» advisories in place for six Mexican states. They are: Sinaloa, Zacatecas, Tamaulipas, Colima, Michoacán and Guerrero. Meanwhile, another seven states have orange alerts, which means «reconsider travel».

Those are: Baja California, Sonora, Chihuahua, Durango, Jalisco, Guanajuato and Morelos. The other states with the exception of Campeche and Yucatán have yellow alerts, which means «exercise caution».

WHAT IS THE US STATE DEPARTMENT WARNING?

The State Department notes in its advisory on Quintana Roo that violence and criminal activity can occur anywhere, “even in popular tourist destinations. Travelers should maintain a high level of situational awareness, avoid areas where illegal activity occurs, and move quickly away from potentially dangerous situations.”

Jaime López-Aranda, director of security for the travel risk management company International SOS, confirms that the most popular tourist areas remain reasonably safe. «It is relatively safe for travelers to head to tourist destinations and major urban centers, such as Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey,» López-Aranda told CNN.

OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS FOR TOURISTS

Due to these situations, experts and authorities have established security guidelines so that US citizens who are travel to Mexico can reduce their risk.

The first thing they recommend is not to travel alone, travel in a private vehicle, avoid traveling at night, pay attention to the news, always bring a charged cell phone and keep your family informed of your whereabouts at all times.