Mexico Tourism Board Praises Texas’ Latest Travel Advisory

Mexico Tourism Board Praises Texas’ Latest Travel Advisory

Rodolfo Lopez-Negrete, chief operating officer of the Mexico Tourism Board, praised a recent travel warning issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety for being “clear, precise and couched in context,” and not as broad and confusing as previous warnings about travel to Mexico.

An editorial published in the Houston Chronicle and co-written by Lopez-Negrete and Shannon Stowell, president of the Adventure Travel Trade Association, commented on a recent Texas-issued warning about travel to Nuevo Laredo because of information that drug cartels in the area were planning attacks on U.S. citizens. “Of course, this isn't the first travel warning the Texas government has issued against traveling to Mexico, and no doubt it will not be the last,” according to the editorial. “However, it was the first time in recent history in which the guidelines were clear, precise and couched in context. The Texas government should be commended for this.”

“In 2011 alone, the Lone Star State issued three travel warnings to Mexico, including this most recent version regarding Nuevo Laredo. The language used in the two previous versions was abstract, and in our opinion, inadvertently instigated unnecessary confusion and alarm about travel to Mexico. As an example, in the warning published March 1 of this year in which DPS discouraged Spring Break travel to Mexico, the department said, ‘Our safety message is simple: Avoid traveling to Mexico during Spring Break and stay alive.’ This kind of hyperbolic language is toxic and damaging to a healthy bi-national relationship.

“We do not at all dispute there are parts of Mexico that are prone to violent incidents (this could also be said of Austin, New York, London, Paris or Sydney, for that matter) and are not currently safe for travel. In fact, the government of Mexico discourages its own citizens from traveling to these locales. We also understand the inherent desire of the U.S. and states like Texas to keep their citizens informed and educated -- this is the job of government. What we did take issue with is the insinuation that the entire length and width of Mexico is riddled with crime.

“To be clear, the drug-related violence that prompted those warnings emanates from select states in the north of Mexico and in some coastal and regional communities. These are located far from Mexico's iconic tourist destinations of Cancun, Huatulco, Ixtapa, Puerto Vallarta and Los Cabos. To say that Mexico is dangerous is misleading, unwarranted and insulting. Mexico is a geographically large country, close to the size of Western Europe, with 2,500 municipalities, only 80 of which have had or are having problems related to cartel violence. This represents less than 5 percent of the entire country.”

“The U.S. and Mexico share more in common than a border. We share a commitment to the safety of our citizens. Of course we don't want American travelers to get harmed in our country. And there should be fair warnings if the situation demands. But the warnings must be fair and based on fact.”