Spring breakers opt for Miami as cartel fears in Mexico grow
- Spring breakers may be opting for Miami amid Mexico's cartel activity.
- Some students say their parents urged them against travelling to Mexico.
- Low demand is making flights to Cancún from some U.S. cities 40% cheaper
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(NewsNation) — Some spring breakers are opting to vacation within the U.S. as travel warnings advise against visiting Mexico due to cartel activity.
College students from around the country are in Miami, Florida, this week. NewsNation spoke to a number of them who said they preferred to stay in the U.S. this spring break instead of going to Mexico.
“I think so after just what’s been happening on the news and stuff. People are just trying to stay away from places like that,” said one college student on her spring break.
“Not a lot of people want to go there if people are gonna get kidnapped,” said another student.
When asked whether she would think twice about visiting Mexico now, one spring breaker said, “Yes. I would think eight times before going to Mexico.”
Some students NewsNation spoke to said their parents discouraged them from going to Cancún or Cozumel, two extremely popular spring break destinations.
“You definitely hear a lot more parents, like, any of our friends that are going on spring break there, their parents say, ‘Please make sure you’re being careful, always go with a friend somewhere. Make sure that you stay on the resort,'” said a college student visiting Miami for spring break.
While flights to Miami remain pricey, flights to Cancún are cheaper than normal, which usually indicates less demand.
Flights from Chicago to Cancún are about $250 cheaper than normal, down about 41%. Flights from New York, Austin and Washington, D.C., to Cancún are also between 30% and 43% cheaper over the past three weeks.
The State Department has issued travel warnings for 30 of the 32 states in Mexico, citing increased cartel violence. Last week, two Americans were killed while visiting Mexico for a medical procedure.
Three other women went missing after travelling to Mexico to sell clothes last month. Authorities are still trying to determine what happened.
Despite the warnings, some spring breakers say they’d still feel safe in Mexican beach resorts.
“I’d still be down to go to Mexico. I want to travel, I want to see the world,” said one Miami tourist, saying she wasn’t too worried about the cartels.
While there are travel warnings in many parts of Mexico, Cancún and Cozumel don’t have those warnings. However, the State Department is urging anyone visiting those areas to remain vigilant.