US Warns Tourists To Avoid Five Mexican States
- by Virginia Carter
- in World Media
- — Jan 12, 2018
Under the new rankings, level 1, the lowest advisory, signals a need to "exercise normal precautions" in places where there is no more than the usual risk involved in global travel.
"These improvements will provide U.S. citizens with clear, timely, and reliable safety and security information worldwide", the State Department said.
"It's significant that the five tourist destinations that account for 80% of foreign tourist travel to Mexico (Cancún, Riviera Maya, Los Cabos, Puerto Vallarta-Riviera Nayarit and Mexico City) were not classified with restrictions for worldwide travelers by the State Department", the statement said.
Chihuahua, where dozens were killed over a two-day span last week, was given a level 3 category, which means "reconsider travel".
It also added that the USA government has "limited ability" to provide emergency services to its citizens in rural areas of eastern Maharashtra and northern Telangana through western West Bengal, where Maoist extremist groups are present, since they require special authorization to visit.
The US State Department published boiled-down travel advisories yesterday giving every country, along with Antarctica, a number from 1 to 4.
Colima, Guerrero, Michoacán, Sinaloa and Tamaulipas have all been classified as a level-four risk, the highest in the scale.
The advisory informed it's citizens that rape was the fastest growing crime in India.
New rankings replace the vague and often confusing system of issuing "travel alerts" and "travel warnings".
Still, officials in Los Cabos (a destination in Baja California Sur) found the rating to be positive, pointing out that there are no travel restrictions to the region. It is also tells citizens to "reconsider travel to Nairobi neighborhood of Eastleigh at all times and Old Town in Mombasa at night due to crime". Level three countries include Russian Federation, due to civil unrest in certain areas, and Venezuela, due to crime and a limited ability of the U.S. to provide assistance to citizens.
The United States on Wednesday unveiled a way to warn its citizens about the dangers of foreign travel, with a four-point safety ranking system for countries and an interactive world map. The State Department's website says this designation is earned due to "health attacks directed at U.S. Embassy Havana employees" over the past several months, and Bernier-Toth said this is being taken seriously.
The office also mentioned that the USA government was unable to provide any consular services to US citizens from the Consulate General in Peshawar. US government employees are prohibited from traveling to the entire state, including Acapulco.
