State Department Mexico Travel Warning Expanded

The State Department has expanded a Mexico travel warning in the wake of increased violent crimes against U.S. citizens.

The country has seen a spike in crimes including homicides at popular tourist destinations such as Baja California Sur, where Cabo San Lucas is located, as well as and Quintana Roo, where Cancun and Riviera Maya are, Fox News reported.

According to NPR, additional warnings have been added to the states of Chiapas and Veracruz, with the U.S. government's advisory now covering 23 of the 31 Mexican states.

"Gun battles between rival criminal organizations or with Mexican authorities have taken place on streets and in public places during broad daylight," the advisory says.

Although there is less drug-related violence and crime reported at tourist destinations in comparison to the border region, the State Department has warned that many U.S. citizens have been killed in carjackings and highway robberies.

Furthermore, travelers were cautioned to be wary of kidnapping.

These could take on various forms such as physical abduction, resulting in the victim being held captive; short-term abduction, during which the victim is forced to withdraw money from an ATM; or through virtual extortion-by-deception, through which the victim is threatened to provide phone numbers of family and friends, then isolated until a ransom is paid.

Rafael Fernandez de Castro, director for the Center for U.S.-Mexican studies at UC San Diego, said the travel warnings were bad news for Mexico's economy, the Los Angeles Times reported. Tourism makes up 7 percent of the country's gross domestic product.

But increased development at tourist destinations could be part of the problem, Fernandez de Castro said.

"The growth of Los Cabos has been way too accelerated in the last two years," he said. "It's creating a little bit of social chaos."

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