While Texas authorities have advised students to avoid Mexico during spring break because of violence involving drug cartels, an Arizona border county sheriff said the best thing to do is just be careful.
Santa Cruz County Sheriff Tony Estrada said tourists have not been targets of the drug violence. However, he said bordering towns such as Nogales, the Mexican state of Sonora that borders Arizona and the country of Mexico have changed dramatically.
He said tourists should avoid outlying areas of towns where most of the violence has happened.
"They have to stay away from these problem areas, especially late at night when it's a little more dangerous," said Estrada.
Rocky Point, a hot spot for Arizona college kids, appears to be safe, he said.
"So far, Rocky Point has been excluded from a lot of the violence that we have been seeing, even though it is also a corridor for these drug movements and human smuggling."
He added, "The potential is always there. You just have to recognize that and make a personal decision whether you want to go over there and feel comfortable and feel safe."
Estrada said people "just need to be very aware of the fact that there is turmoil, just like there would be maybe in other communities or other countries. They just have to be very careful.
"There are things that are happening. It can be dangerous just like anywhere else. People have to be careful. They have to be very aware of their surroundings and try to stay out of trouble."
Rocky Point, one of Arizonans' most popular Mexican getaways, is getting a bad rap, according to Mary Snyder who lives there and works to promote the resort town.
The tourist trade suffered significantly last year because of border violence, new passport restrictions and the H1N1 flu outbreak, she said.
She said Rocky Point has some issues with crime, just like any other city, but, "Does somebody need to feel insecure to go down there? Absolutely not."
She said she has driven the road to Rocky Point alone for 15 years and, "I feel completely safe."
"Because it's a foreign country and because it's a foreign language, it's more a fear of the unknown than the reality of something people need to worry about," she said.
The outlook is improving, said Snyder.
"Real estate sales have been up, rentals have been up, everything over this spring now has been great."
While many students will hit the beaches of Rocky Point, many others will head to San Diego and Las Vegas for spring break, according to AAA Arizona.
Michelle Donati with AAA expects many students to drive to their destination.
"Split the gas cost between two or three or four people. It's going to be pretty minimal," she said.
"Really popular destinations are close to home. The theme really for spring break 2010 is budget travel. Where can I go and stay on a budget? Where can I get the most bang for my buck?"
Cruises in Mexico also are becoming popular, she said.
"We are seeing cruise traffic pick up. Cruising to Mexico is extremely affordable and that's because many of the ships leave from California, so you don't have to fly over if you don't want to."