During spring break, American students began to flock to the Mexican Caribbean, ignoring warnings from Washington about the risk of violence in Mexico, in order to bask on the beaches or party.
The US State Department has raised its travel alert level, considering that only two of Mexico's 32 states are "safe" for US citizens.
"My parents were really worried about me coming here, but I told them: it's ok, because I'm with my friend, if we stay together all the time, I think it's ok. “, explains to AFP Sophia Taylor, 21, from Indiana, in the north of the United States.
The beaches of Cancun (east), the most popular seaside resort for foreign tourists, have been taken by storm by the "springbreakers", the Americans who take the spring school holidays.
Among them, many young people eager to bask in the sun or swim in a turquoise blue sea, despite the presence of seaweed this weekend.
The state of Quintana Roo, where Cancun and very popular seaside resorts like Tulum and Riviera Maya are located, is however on the list of Mexican states at risk for Washington, and is the subject of special surveillance.
This alert was launched after the kidnapping of four Americans on March 3 in the border town of Matamoros (northeast). Two of them died and another was seriously injured.
Thursday, the case of an American of Mexican origin kidnapped in February in the state of Colima, in the west of the country, was reported.
Luis, an American who is traveling with a group of students, nevertheless feels safe.
"There are police here (...) there are thousands of people here at the moment, eating, drinking on the beach, everything is very safe, nothing is happening", affirms this man who prefers not to not give his last name.
In fact, tourists coexist on the beach and in nightclubs with soldiers of the Mexican Navy who, in camouflage and armed, patrol the tourist sites.
The Quintana Roo government expects some 30,000 Americans to arrive during spring break and spend an average of $100 to $150 a day.
"This is not a do not travel warning, but a call for caution and to take precautions," pleaded Juan Pablo de Zulueta, head of tourism in Cancun.
Because Washington's warnings also concern insecurity, especially at nightfall, and the risks associated with the consumption of drugs or adulterated alcohol.
"US citizens have become seriously ill or died in Mexico after consuming synthetic drugs or adulterated prescription drugs," the State Department said.
03/18/2023 16:36:46 - Cancún (Mexique) (AFP) - © 2023 AFP
