Cruise ships avoid 'murder capital' after 'do not travel' alert over violence and kidnap threat Spiralling gang-related murders and kidnappings in port cities popular with major cruise lines have triggered Level 4 "do not travel" warnings for holidaymakers.
With over 600 recorded homicides in just the first nine months of 2024 and one of the highest murder rates in the world, the state of Colima has often been handed the awful accolade of global "murder capital."
Cartel violence in the country has spiked in recent years, rising to a shocking peak of 33,141 murders in 2018 and remaining around that level since, according to the Council on Foreign Relations.
Tourists have been told "violent crime and gang activity are widespread" in the city of Manzanillo, in Colima, Mexico, with homicides and "targeted assassinations" common among cartel members.
Major operators like Royal Caribbean will no longer stop in many of these once-beautiful and popular destinations due to the rising risk of violence.
