State Department updates Mexico travel warning; Cancun advisory remains the same

Cancun (iStock)

The U.S. Department of State issued an update to its Mexico travel advisory, telling tourists to “exercise increased caution” when visiting the country.

The update comes just one day after authorities confirmed the discovery of eight bodies outside the resort areas of Cancun — however, the State Department’s advisory for the state of Quintana Roo, where Cancun is located, remains at a Level 2 (Exercise Increased Caution), just as it did in the week preceding the discovery.

The rest of the warning is also largely the same as the previous advisory, albeit with a change concerning government personnel traveling to the Chihuahua city of Ciudad Juarez, WPVI reports.

A spokesperson for the board of tourism for Quintana Roo issued a statement in response to the advisory update, claiming it does not apply to “tourist or beach areas.”

"The State Department travel advisory for Mexico does not include any tourist or beach areas and reaffirms that all major tourist destinations in Mexico are safe," the Quintana Roo tourism spokesperson said, per USA Today.

The travel warning, does, however, warn visitors to Quintana Roo to continue to “exercise increased caution due to crime.”

The advisory also urges U.S. citizens to avoid certain areas outright.

“Exercise increased caution in Mexico due to crime. Some areas have increased risk,” reads the travel warning, which specifically lists the states of Colima, Guerrero, Michoacán, Sinaloa and Tamaulipas as being under a “Level 4” advisory — meaning U.S. citizens should “not travel to” these areas for safety and security reasons.

The State Department cited “violent crime, such as homicide, kidnapping, carjacking, and robbery,” in the advisory, calling the activity “widespread.”