Germany’s Foreign Relations Ministry has issued a statement to its public in which a bleak picture is painted of Mexico’s current situation vis-à-vis violence, effectively advising would-be tourists to that country to think twice before making travel plans.
The warning also claims that as a result of the nation’s impending local and federal elections, violence is likely to spike during 2018.
“The security situation in many parts of Mexico is constantly worsening,” reads the missive. “And with the presidential, congressional and gubernatorial elections this July, an additional increase in violence is expected.”
The statement goes on to advise its citizenry, which flock to Mexico every year, against attending political rallies, as they could, according to the foreign ministry, devolve into clashes between rival political affiliates and/or law enforcement.
The areas the German government highlighted as especially dangerous are Tamaulipas, Sinaloa, Colima, rural areas of Guerrero, Michoacan and Jalisco, and frontier zones such as Tijuana, Chihuahua City and Ciudad Juarez. Also, they recommend avoiding the stretch of coastal highway between Manzanillo and Acapulco, staying out of downtown Cancun at night, steering clear of the Mexico City barrios of Tepito, Doctores, Lagunilla, Venustiano Carranza, Gustavo A. Madero and Iztapalapa, and skipping the country’s frontiers with Belize and Guatemala.
Jalisco Tourism Secretary Enrique Ramos expressed surprise at the German missive, noting that Puerto Vallarta had recently been heralded as the “safest destination” in Mexico.
The warning comes amid the as-of-yet unresolved case of three citizens of Naples, Italy, who disappeared late January in Tecalitlan, Jalisco and haven’t been heard from since. Whether or not Germany’s advisory is connected to this on-going drama is unknown, but it can’t have helped Mexico’s image abroad, especially since the involvement of the town’s municipal police in the disappearances is strongly suspected.