Canada Has Upgraded Its Mexico Travel Advisory & Here's What Tourists Should Know

Planning to travel to Mexico from Canada anytime soon? New guidance for travellers issued by the Government of Canada may affect your trip.

The federal government has updated its Mexico travel advisory and is now warning tourists to avoid non-essential travel in parts of the country due to high levels of violence and crime.

Although Mexico is a hot spot for tourists, the popular destination has recently seen several countries issue "do not travel" warnings amid an increased risk of crime and kidnapping.

Canada's travel advisory was updated earlier this month, with information about regional risks in the country that included some popular tourist destinations.

Canadians are warned to avoid non-essential travel in 14 Mexican cities and states, including Sinaloa, with the exception of the popular vacation spot Mazatlan.

Travellers are warned to avoid the areas due to "high levels of violence and organized crime."

The full list of spots travellers should avoid is as follows, according to the official advisory:

• all Chihuahua
• all Colima, except the city of Manzanillo
• all Coahuila, except the southern part of the state at and below the Saltillo-Torreón highway corridor
• all Durango, except Durango City
• all Guerrero, except the cities of Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo and Taxco
• Guanajuato at Highway 45 between León and Irapuato and the area south of and including Highway 45D between Irapuato and Celaya
• all Michoacán, except the city of Morelia
• Morelos at the Lagunas de Zempoala National Park and surrounding areas and the municipality of Xoxocotla
• Nayarit within 20 kilometres of the border with Sinaloa and Durango and the city of Tepic
• all Nuevo León, except the city of Monterrey
• all Sinaloa, except the city of Mazatlan
• all Sonora, except the cities of Hermosillo and Guaymas/San Carlos and Puerto Peñasco
• all Tamaulipas
• all Zacatecas

For the rest of the country, Canada's travel advisory asks visitors to "exercise a high degree of caution," which means that there are "certain safety and security concerns," or that the security situation in the country could change quickly.

Canadians are advised to be cautious at all times, monitor local media for updates and follow the instructions of Mexican authorities.

Canada isn't the only country warning residents against travel to Mexico. The U.S. State Department has also issued "do not travel" advisories for certain areas in the country, citing increased risks of crime and kidnapping.

Unlike Canada, Americans are also being asked to "reconsider travel" to certain Mexican states, including Baja California, which is home to Los Cabos and Jalisco, where tourists flock to go to Puerto Vallarta.

Canada has issued multiple travel advisories for popular tourist locations in Europe, Asia and more that travellers may want to take note of.

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.