The U.S. State Department issued on March 7 a security warning to American travelers headed to Quintana Roo, Mexico, a state with popular spring break destinations like Playa del Carmen, Cancun and Cozumel.
The travel advisory came two weeks before some St. Thomas students would embark on their spring break trips. On March 16 the State Department lifted a ban on government employee travel around Quintana Roo it had imposed on March 7, but it still advised travelers to “exercise increased caution.”
“On March 7, the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City received information about a security threat in Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico,” the March 7 advisory read. No further explanation was given. The March 16 notice cited increased homicide rates in the area.
The notice follows an increase of violent crimes in Mexico’s tourist-heavy areas, including two bomb incidents that involved tourist ferries connecting Cozumel and Playa Del Carmen, popular tourist destinations in the Riviera Maya.
The first bombing incident involved an explosion on one of the ferries that injured 25 people, two of them Americans, according to CBS News.
One week later, undetonated bombs were found on board a ferry owned by the same company.
The Quintana Roo state experienced a 118 percent increase in homicide rates from 2016 to 2017 (165 reported in 2016 and 359 in 2017), according to Business Insider.
“While most of these homicides appeared to be targeted, criminal organization assassinations, turf battles between criminal groups have resulted in violent crime in areas frequented by U.S. citizens,” the State Department travel advisory read.
The warnings also come after investigations from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on more than 150 reported mysterious blackouts after tourists consumed low amounts of alcohol.
The investigation followed the death of Abbey Conner, a University of Wisconsin-Whitewater student, in January 2017.
Some of the blackout victims reported learning they had been sexually assaulted, beaten, robbed, taken to jail or mistreated at local hospitals.
Despite the travel warnings, St. Thomas sophomore Lia Saari is continuing with her plans to visit Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, over spring break.
“I’ve gone to this resort about six times now. We’re really familiar with the area and the workers, and you feel very safe,” Saari said.
Saari will be traveling with seven other students, her sister and her sister’s two friends, and her brother and her brother’s girlfriend. This will be her first trip without her parents.
“I think my parents feel comfortable with me traveling by myself because they have taught me the ropes and they know that I’m responsible traveling,” Saari said.
In response to the blackout incidents happening within resorts, Saari believes the rules you follow in the U.S. should be followed everywhere.
“Make sure you see where your drink is coming from, always. If you don’t, don’t drink it,” Saari said.
Saari and her travel companions plan to stay aware of their surroundings for the entire break.
“I think traveling to different countries, you always have this sort of extra alertness to you, and just because we’re going to a resort, you still have to have that,” Saari said.
Sarah Spencer, the St. Thomas study abroad office director, recommended in an email to TommieMedia that students going on international trips read the State Department warnings closely.
“Students’ spring break plans are not sponsored by the University of St. Thomas, and each student and their parents will have to make their own decision,” Spencer wrote. “With all travel, we recommend checking with the US Department of State travel advisories and the local hotel or resort for up-to-date information.”
Althea Larson can be reached at lars2360@stthomas.edu.