New travel warnings to Mexico include state of Chihuahua and Juarez

The U.S. Department of State issued the highest-level “do not travel” warnings to five Mexican states Wednesday.

Tamaulipas, Sinaloa, Colima, Michoacan and Guerrero, where the popular tourist destination Acapulco is located, are the five states that have been slapped with a level-4 warning.

The State Department said the areas are hotbeds of drug cartel activity, including drug trafficking routes, and extensive drug-crop cultivation.

Closer to the Borderland, the Mexican state of Chihuahua has a level-3 warning advising Americans to “reconsider travel,” this includes Ciudad Juarez.

State Department personnel are not allowed to travel west of Eje Vial Juan Gabriel, and south of Boulevard Zaragoza, where the Juarez airport is located, after dark.

Employees are prohibited from traveling southeast of Boulevard Independencia, and to the Valle de Juarez region, both areas that border the Lower Valley.

As a country, Mexico has a level-2 rating, which urges American travelers to “exercise increased caution,” however half of the 31 Mexican states have a level 3 or 4 warning.

Rising levels of violence have not so far affected Los Cabos, which saw a 16 percent increase in tourism arrivals and an 18 percent rise in hotel occupancy in 2017, said Rodrigo Esponda, managing director of the Los Cabos Tourism Board.

Esponda said local officials and tourism operators are investing in increased security, including camera systems and the construction of a new marine base.

Mexico’s tourism board has not issued a statement on the upgraded warnings.

Earlier this week, Tourism Secretary Enrique De la Madrid said, “In my opinion, the most important challenge we have in the tourism sector are crime events occurring where they didn’t before, for example in Cancun, la Paz and Los Cabos.”

Other countries with level 4 designation include Somalia, Syria and Yemen.

If you have necessary travel to any dangerous areas, the State Department has tip to keep safe, including enrolling in the Smart Traveler Program.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.