Monday, March 12, 2012
Mexico
Concerned due to 'Outrageous' U.S. Travel Warnings
By
Allan Wall
Two recent travel warnings about visiting Mexico have
sparked controversy and reignited the question "Is it Safe to Visit Mexico?"
One warning was from the state of Texas. As Reuters reported on March 6th, "Texas on Tuesday warned residents
for the third consecutive year not to travel to Mexico during the upcoming university spring break season, saying drug cartel
violence and other criminal activity are a safety threat even in resort areas."
In response, Rodolfo Lopez Negrete, the Director General Adjunto of Mexico's Consejo de Promoción
Turística de México (CPTM), the Tourist Promotion Council, objected to the warning and actually met with
Texas officials to discuss it.
Lopez Negrete's objection is that,
"This warning is exceptionally aggressive. To paint Mexico with such a massively broad brush stroke is simply outrageous."
Indeed, in 2010 the Texas Spring Break warning was more specific, warning spring breakers
not to visit cities on Mexico's northern border. But in 2011 and 2012 the state just warned them against visiting the
whole country of Mexico.
As Lopez Negrete has pointed out, most tourists
are not in the violent areas.
"Those pockets where this violence
is taking place are very well identified. This is totally unrelated to tourism. This is not about attacking tourists."
That's true for the most part. There is no evidence that American tourists, or
tourists of any nation, are being targeted.
It's also a little ironic
to see the government of Texas warning university students not to visit any part of Mexico on spring break. The behavior
of many spring breakers is not noted for the exemplification of safety, health and well-being. Public drunkenness and
debauchery are not safe wherever practiced, so why doesn't the state of Texas warn against those behaviors?
On the other hand, the U.S. State Department's warnings are much more measured and tailored
to specific regions of Mexico. The latest warning was updated on February 8th, 2012. I recommend that interested
readers peruse the warning here.
The State Department warning
doesn't actually tell Americans not to visit Mexico, and attempts to put things in perspective: "Millions of U.S.
citizens safely visit Mexico each year for study, tourism, and business, including more than 150,000 who cross the border
every day. The Mexican government makes a considerable effort to protect U.S. citizens and other visitors to major tourist
destinations, and there is no evidence that Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs) have targeted U.S. visitors and residents
based on their nationality. 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 State Department warning contains detailed information about the security situation in the 31 Mexican states
and Mexico City, the Federal District. (This past summer my family and I had a very safe and enjoyable visit to Mexico
City. Click here for my article about it, with some great photographs taken by my wife and sons).
American would-be-visitors to Mexico ought to investigate the situation and make their own
decisions.
Remember that Mexico is a big country, about the size of Western
Europe. The drug cartel violence, horrible though it is, is not distributed evenly throughout the country.
Consider the numbers involved. In 2012 there were about 130 Americans murdered in Mexico.
However, when you consider that about 13 million Americans visit Mexico that's a very low percentage.
Also, it should be pointed out that some Americans visit unsafe areas, engage in unsafe activities,
and some are even involved with drug trafficking themselves.
Not only
that, but some American cities have higher murder rates than Mexico's nationwide murder rate.
On the other hand, if Americans do have trouble in Mexico they are in a foreign country, they may not speak the language,
and the Mexican legal system is notoriously unreliable. Of course, it's unreliable for Mexicans also.
It's a complicated issue that can't always be summarized in a sound bite.
Mexican tourist promoters are concerned about Mexico's image in the U.S. Tourism
is an important industry in Mexico. Last year 22.7 million tourists visited Mexico. But if the security situation
gets worse, tourism could be seriously damaged.
If you plan to visit Mexico
do your own research. Investigate your destinations and how you are getting there. Plan ahead. Be careful,
of course. And enjoy your trip.
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Allan Wall, an educator, resided in Mexico for many years. His website is located
at http://www.allanwall.info/.
