Mexico travel: Is it safe to travel and what are your rights if you have a trip booked?

Hurricane Lidia swept Mexico’s west-central coast on Tuesday

Oct 12, 2023 - 21:01

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Mexico travel: Is it safe to travel and what are your rights if you have a trip booked?

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After a Category 4 hurricane swept Mexico earlier this week concerns over the safety of travel to Mexico and the risk of further natural disasters have risen.

Hurricane Lidia made landfall on Mexico’s Pacific Coast, barrelling the states of Jalisco and Nayarit, on Tuesday night (10 October).

Amid Mexico’s June to November hurricane season, popular beach resorts such as Puerto Vallarta and Colima were hit with up to 140mph winds.

Although hurricane warnings have now been lifted, a risk of landslides, mudslides and flash flooding remains a threat to holidaymakers with trips booked to the ocean-flanked country.

Here’s the latest travel advice for Mexico, plus all the key questions and answers.

What does the Foreign Office say?

On Wednesday the Foreign Office (FCDO) updated its advice on travel to Mexico to read: “The FCDO advises against all but essential travel to parts of Mexico.”

Areas to avoid include:

Tijuana – except airside transit through Tijuana airportChihuahua – except the city of ChihuahuaColima – except the city of ManzanilloGuanajuato – including all areas southwest of road 45DGuerrero – except the city of Acapulco, the town of Zihuatanejo and the town of TaxcoTamaulipas – except the border crossing at Nuevo Laredo accessed by federal toll road 85D from MonterreyZacatecasJalisco – including all areas south and southwest of Lake Chapala to the border with the state of ColimaSinaloa – except the cities of Los Mochis and MazatlánMichoacán – except the city of Morelia and the town of Pátzcuaro

The FCDO also advises against all but essential travel to these northern municipalities:

BolañosChimaltitánColotlánHostotipaquilloHuejúcarHuequilla el AltoMezquiticSan Martin de BolañosSanta Maria de los ÁngelesTotaticheVilla Guerrero

What do the Mexican authorities say?

Jalisco governor Enrique Alfaro posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, about the effects of Hurricane Lidia to assure that the state was in the “final stages” of the clear-up with “very positive results”, and stressed that the area was fortunate to get off quite lightly in the aftermath of the Category 4 hurricane.

Are Mexico flights continuing?

Yes. All international airports are operational as usual.

Puerto Vallarta International Airport in impacted Jalisco cancelled several flights on Tuesday (10 October) and Wednesday morning (11 October) but has now resumed its regular arrival and departure schedule.

What if I have booked a package holiday to Mexico?

Travellers who have booked package holidays to Mexico’s west or central coast including Puerto Vallarta as advised by the FCDO can cancel without penalty for a full refund, although other popular tourist resorts of Cancun, Playa del Carmen and Tulum are a fair distance from the affected areas as they sit on the Gulf of Mexico’s east coast.

The conditions for cancelling your trip will be dependent on your holiday provider, so it’s best to contact them. Be aware that your travel insurance could be invalidated if you choose to travel to an area against FCDO advice.