The U.S. State Department has announced that it is lowering the travel advisory for Mexico. Mexico was on the State Department’s level 4 “Do Not Travel” list until yesterday when it was lowered to level 3 “Reconsider Travel”. The change comes as Americans are getting ready for spring break, starting as early as this weekend for some.
Mexico is one of the top tourist destinations for spring breakers. College students rush to the warm waters and beautiful beaches of Mexico throughout spring. The resort pools are often home to hundreds and thousands of young people sipping margaritas in the sun. There are wild parties in every resort. Mexico is especially attractive because going out and purchasing alcohol is, in general, much more affordable than in U.S. cities. Not to mention, the legal drinking age is only 18.
Mexico has actually been suffering from a case of over-tourism in recent months. Likely due to relaxed covid restrictions and a climate that’s friendly to northerners. It’s caused a bit of a problem for some of the countries popular airports. Some travelers have reported waiting as long as 2 hours to get through immagration. It’s not hard to see why though, being one of the only countries completely open during the pandemic made it one of the most visited countries on Earth.
Not only a popular destination for weekenders, but Mexico has also become a hotspot for digital nomads because of its high-speed internet, year-round tropical weather, and cheap prices.
The U.S. Embassy in Mexico stated “Each year, thousands of U.S. citizens visit Mexico during spring break. While the vast majority travel safely, visitors should consider the following factors”
Some Things To Avoid In Mexico
Crime: Crime, including violent crime, can occur anywhere in Mexico, including in popular tourist destinations.
Drugs: Drug possession and use, including medical marijuana, is illegal in Mexico and may result in a lengthy jail sentence. U.S. citizens have become seriously ill or died in Mexico after using synthetic drugs or adulterated prescription pills.
Unregulated Alcohol: U.S. citizens have reported losing consciousness or becoming injured after consuming alcohol that was possibly unregulated. There was a string of deaths in the DR related to this as well.
Sexual Assault: U.S. citizens have been victims of rape and sexual assault in some resort areas.
Drowning: Some beaches have strong undercurrents and rip tides. Beaches may lack lifeguards, warnings, or signs of unsafe conditions.
COVID-19 in Mexico
The State Department also went on to note that the CDC has issued a Level 3 Travel Health Notice for Mexico due to COVID-19, indicating a high level of COVID-19 in the country. There are no entry restrictions for Mexico and the country has been very relaxed throughout the whole pandemic. They had a pretty big spike of Omicron during January and February, but thankfully the case numbers are falling fast!
Will The New Advisory Level Impact Travel To Mexico?
It’s hard to tell. Honestly, from where I’m sitting, it doesn’t seem that the level 4 travel advisory was keeping many droves of people away from a beach vacation. But maybe there are still some holdouts waiting for COVID cases to drop before they go away.
