As cartel-related crime continues to spread all over Mexico, the United States has issued new travel advisories for cruise lines stopping in two Mexican ports deemed to be too dangerous due to an increase in crime and kidnappings.
On the U.S. Department of State website, all 31 entities in Mexico as well as Mexico City are considered to be under some sort of travel warning. Although more than half are labelled as Level 1 and Level 2 warnings, 13 states in Mexico —including Sinaloa— are considered to be a risk for travelers due to elevated crime and murder rates.
That is the case for Colima, a small state along Mexico's Pacific coast that is now perceived as a 'Dot Not Travel' location in the eyes of the State Department.
Smaller than the state of Delaware, Colima has not only one of the highest murder rates in Mexico but also one of the highest around the world. According to data from the National Public Security System (SESNSP), Colima has seen 623 intentional homicides between January and October of this year.
With a few weeks still to go in 2024, Colima's murder rate is almost five times higher than the national average in Mexico (22 per 100,000 people).
Port of Manzanillo under a Level 4 advisory
High murder rates and other crimes are some of the reasons why the State Department gave the port of Manzanillo, the state's largest city, a Level 4 'Do Not Travel' label. This action has forced cruise lines such as Royal Caribbean to no longer stop at Manzanillo despite the company still listing the port in its website.
"Violent crime and gang activity are widespread," the agency posted. "Most homicides are targeted assassinations against members of criminal organizations. Shooting incidents between criminal groups have injured or killed bystanders. U.S. citizens and LPRs have been victims of kidnapping," the warning added.
Despite the recommendations, the travel advisory did offer an exception for the actual cruise port area of Manzanillo. "US government employee travel is limited to the tourist and port areas of Manzanillo," it added. "US government employees may not travel to other areas of Colima state.
Although Royal Caribbean is no longer stopping at Manzanillo, Princess Cruises, a Carnival-owned company, still has ships set for call in January and February of next year.
Puerto Chiapas under a Level 3 warning
Built in 1975, Puerto Chiapas is the southernmost port on Mexico's Pacific coast. It is located in the state of Chiapas, less than 40 miles from the Mexico-Guatemala border.
Known for its agricultural goods such as coffee, Puerto Chiapas has received a Level 3 'Reconsider Travel' warning by the State Department due to increasing levels of crime across the state.
Norwegian, Holland America and Princess cruises generally sail to Puerto Chiapas, but as of now only Princess has cruises scheduled to stop there.
All the Princess cruise ships set to stop at the port are longer cruises where the cruise line simply has not canceled the port call.
