Violence Leads Some Spring Breakers to Bypass Mexico

Many college students on spring break once took the so-called “two-nation vacation,” consisting of a visit to South Padre Island, Texas and a jaunt across the Mexican border to Matamoros. But the AP reports today that news of drug-related violence in Mexico has many students this year taking a one-nation vacation instead and staying on U.S. soil.

Not all students are staying away, however. The Los Angeles Times reports that, farther south, Acapulco is attracting quite a few college students on spring break, accounting for “about 25% of [STA Travel’s] spring-break packages sales”—despite a U.S. State Department warning that drug-related violence is on the rise there, too.

“Although this violence is not targeted at foreign residents or tourists,” officials advise, “U.S. citizens in these areas should be vigilant in their personal safety.”

The Times’ story notes that Costa Rica is an increasingly popular spring break destination. In the U.S., spring break hot spots continue to include Las Vegas and Panama City Beach, Florida, among other places.

Related on World Hum:
* A Bad Situation Gets Worse in Tijuana

Photo by Kyle May via Flickr, (Creative Commons).

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