UPDATE: U.S. expands Mexico travel advisory over gang crime, kil … – WRCB

CHATTANOOGA –

UPDATE: The U.S. State Department has issued a travel warning for Americans visiting certain parts of Mexico. Tighter security is in place because of a recent wave of danger.

Popular tourist destinations such as Cabo San Lucas, Cancun and the Riviera Maya have seen a spike in homicide rates this year.
Phones are ringing off the hook at local travel agencies. Most are looking to book last minute vacations; others are calling to change their plans.

“We had some people going on their honeymoon, we had some people getting married in Cancun and they just didn’t want to go there anymore, they’re young, they were nervous so we have changed their wedding plans,” Holcomb said.

Lynn Holcomb, owns the local Expedia Cruise Ship Centers in Chattanooga, she said they’ve received more than a dozen calls from concerned clients.
The State Department said U.S. citizens have been victims of violent crimes like kidnapping, carjacking and robbery.

Mexico was the top international destination last year for Americans. The Mexico Tourism Board estimates nearly 8 million people visited from the U.S.
It’s not so good news for travelers without insurance, hoping to re-book.

“They will not change it without it being terrorism and this is not terrorism it’s just violence,” Holcomb said.
Travel agents are making people aware of the situation in Mexico before they book a trip. They are also urging them to be careful and try to stay in populated, resort areas.

“It’s your vacation, it’s your life, you have to do what you are comfortable with. If you are comfortable going that’s fine, if you’re not then don’t go, you don’t want to be miserable or scared,” Holcomb said.

Just last month, the U.S. cautioned people traveling to Mexico about tainted alcohol after one woman died in Playa Del Carmen and several other tourists became sick. 

PREVIOUS STORY: MEXICO CITY (AP) – The U.S. State Department expanded its travel advisories Tuesday to warn of dangers in parts of Mexico, like the Caribbean coast, that previously hadn’t been covered by such alerts.

The new travel advisory doesn’t mention the Caribbean resorts of Cancun or Playa del Carmen by name, but covered the state of Quintana Roo, which includes Cancun, Tulum and several popular tourist destinations.

The advisory issued Tuesday says “turf battles between criminal groups have resulted in violent crime in areas frequented by U.S. citizens.”

Warnings have also been extended to the Gulf coast state of Veracruz, and the southern state of Chiapas, that previously didn’t have them.

In Chiapas, the department said “U.S. government personnel must remain in tourist areas and are not allowed to use public transportation.” Chiapas is home to colonial cities like San Cristobal de las Casas and Mayan ruin sites like Palenque. The same language was applied to Veracruz.

The warnings for Baja California Sur state were changed to reflect violence occurring throughout the state, which includes the resorts of Los Cabos. The previous advisory had mostly mentioned the capital, La Paz.

The department also extended a total ban on personal travel by U.S. government personnel to the violence-wracked state of Guerrero.

U.S. personnel had previously been allowed to fly to the resort of Ixtapa and its sister resort of Zihuatanejo. Personal travel by land in the state and to the resort city of Acapulco had already been prohibited.

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