Against Travel To Mexico

DPS warns students not to travel to Mexico

Mexico continues to be a top destination for student tourists, according to tour agencies that specialize in student travel. "Cancun is number one definitely," said Kaitlin Van Horn with Spring Break Direct.com, a tour operator specializing in trips for students.A lot of students are expected to flock to Cancun despite a warning by the Texas Department of Public Safety the past few years, urging students to stay out of Mexico.

Some parents are also against travel to Mexico.

"They told me not to go over there just because of the violence and stuff," said Samuel Odunsi, senior at the University of Texas at El Paso. Odunsi was still trying to decide whether to go to "Padre or somewhere in Florida" or home to visit his family in Houston.So far the Texas Department of Public Safety has not issued a blanket warning for all of Mexico as in previous years. But it may still do so, according to a spokesman.

The United State Department's detailed travel warning for Mexico says there is "no advisory in effect" for Cancun, Cozumel, Playa del Carmen, Riviera Maya or Tulum. The region is Mexico's top tourist destination.

And it's not just students heading for Mexican beaches. Tourists spent more than $16 billion dollars in Mexico in 2014, a record, according to Mexico's Secretary of Tourism. And the number of visitors grew by more than 16.6 percent over 2013 and is up 27.6 percent from 2012. This spring, the peso-dollar exchange rate may make Mexico especially attractive to budget conscious travelers. It hovers at 15 pesos to one dollar compared to last year's exchange rate of 13 pesos to a dollar during Spring Break.

"We're actually going to Mexico. We're going to Puerto Vallarta," said Amanda Garcia, a student at the University of Texas in El Paso.Garcia has to work this Spring Break but is saving for a vacation with her family and plans to be on a Mexican beach this summer.

"We're excited," Garcia said.

While some beaches in Mexico are attracting tourists, others are not. Acapulco is in the troubled state of Guerrero where 43 Mexican students disappeared sparking protests across Mexico. It's also on the list of Spring Break trips offered by Spring Break Direct.com but so far "nobody" has booked a trip said Van Horn.