Is Mexico safe? Where to travel now

Mexico is a popular vacation destination with more than 40 million tourists visiting in 2017. But in the past year, various parts of the country have been besieged by gang violence, assaults, natural disasters and even reports of poisoned liquor.

On March 8, ahead of spring break season, the U.S. State Department issued a security alert for the popular resort spot Playa del Carmen after the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City received a security threat against the town.

The alert, which was later downgraded to include on five neighborhoods, came less than a month after an explosion on a tourist ferry in Playa del Carmen injured 24 people, including five Americans. And in December the U.S. Office of Inspector General opened an inquiry to investigate possibly tainted booze at all-inclusive resorts in Mexican resort towns like Playa Del Carmen and Cancun.