U.S. map labels Zacatecas, Mexico as very dangerous for tourists

U.S. security authorities and businesses are warning travelers to avoid the Mexican states of Sonora, Zacatecas, San Luis Potosí, Jalisco and Nayarit. Many online sources, including Samuel Logan’s “Traveler Safety in Mexico” map, outline the most high-risk locations for U.S. tourists. This map indicates that half of the territory of Zacatecas is unsafe due to the violent presence of Los Zetas and competing drug cartels. Federal Highway 45 and Expressway 49 are considered particularly dangerous, as are most of Zacatecas’ bordering areas with Jalisco. Such travel warnings have hurt the tourism industry throughout Mexico, including nature preserves in the Sombrerete, Zacatecas region. Mexico’s Secretary of Tourism has requested that Puerto Vallarta and Riviera Nayarit be removed from the travel-warning map, as violence around these tourist locations has been concentrated in neighboring towns, according to ZacatecasOnline. Read article.