Puerto Vallarta, Mexico — While Mexico tourism officials are pleased that the February US travel advisory was more specific in pinpointing areas of concern, “this subject remains a work in progress,” according to Rodolfo Lopez-Negrete, COO of the Mexico Tourism Board.

“We are not yet 100% satisfied, but we have come a long way since the April 2011 alert, which was very general in its language,” Lopez-Negrete said.

Mexico and US State Department officials “have established a good rapport and working relationship,” he said. “The recent warning did not blanket all of Mexico as dangerous. Instead, it was very clear and concise about where travelers should go and not go.”

Lopez-Negrete advocated the use of maps to accompany the warnings so that travelers can see exactly which areas of certain states are off-limits.

“However, Texas is a whole different ball game,” he said. “Texas is the only state in the US that issues its own travel warning. You don’t mess with Texas.”

While Lopez-Negrete said he respected Texas’ right to inform and protect its citizens, he said the state’s officials must correctly and specifically inform residents in regard to safety and security concerns in Mexico.

Despite Texas’ recent blanket advisory targeted specifically at spring breakers, many students appeared not to heed the warning. Although final numbers are not yet in, Lopez-Negrete said that occupancy figures in Mexico’s resort areas for the spring break period “are high, well over 2011.”