Despite drug war fears, Mexico expects an increase in U.S. tourism this year.
February 9, 2012- Following more than three years of drug related violence that made a number of Americans reconsider visiting Mexico, an increase in U.S. tourists to the country could be near. The head of the tourist board for Mexico, Rodolfo Lopez Negrete said, “We have forecasted that the arrival of U.S. tourists in 2012 will increase by 10%.”
In 2011, Mexico experienced a decline of nearly 3% from U.S. travelers that either flew into the country or arrived on cruise ships based in the U.S.
Nonetheless, the State Department in the U.S. still advises travelers from the U.S. to exercise caution if they travel to Mexico. The department released on Wednesday its latest travel warning. The warning updated a previous one that had gone into effect in April of 2011.
The new one said that millions of Americans visit Mexico and experience no safety issues each year. The majority of violence related to drugs occurs close to the U.S.-Mexico border and along the different drug trafficking corridors not in the large resort towns and other destinations that attract tourists.
Part of the problem of recent has been perception. The problem with security may not have changed but more and more travelers understand the country is huge and has a complicated security environment. Nearly 70% of all the violence has happened in northern states that share a border with the U.S.
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