It is Safe to Travel to Mexico

While news of violence resulting from the drug war is often reported by mainstream American media, the truth is that crime rates in Ohio are higher than those of U.S. border cities. In addition to this, a recent blog post from Gadling notes quotes Gloria Guevara, Mexico's secretary of tourism, as saying:

"We do have a challenge, but Mexico has the equivalent of 2,500 counties. Eighty of those are the ones having the challenge. That's less than 4 percent. What I tell the travelers is they need to get a map. It would be very helpful for them to understand what cities are involved. They might have trouble in Juarez; 2,000 miles from there is totally safe. It's like in the U.S.: If there is an issue in L.A., does that mean that you don't go to New York? Or if there is an issue in Las Vegas, do you not go to Chicago?"

Moreover, WatchmanReport had this to say:

"You would think, by the way the mainstream media over blows these stories that all of Mexico is involved a violent, drug crazed killing spree, when in reality it's only occurring in a few cities along the border in a country twice as large as the state of Texas. This would be like making the ridiculous assessment that crime in New York or Detroit is an example of crime in all of America.

When put into perspectives like these, it's evident that travelers should exercise the same cautions as when traveling elsewhere, but that they should not fear traveling to Mexico.