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U.S. State Department reissues travel advisory for Peru

Tuesday, June 6, 2023 Favorite

The U.S. State Department updated its travel advisory for Peru this week, reissuing its Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution advisory with updates to crime information.

In its advisory, the State Department is warning travelers to avoid the Colombian-Peruvian border area in the Loreto due to crime and the Puno Region, including the Peruvian side of Lake Titicaca, and the Apurimac Region due to civil unrest.

It is also advising travelers to avoid the Valley of the Apurímac, Ene, and Mantaro Rivers (VRAEM), including areas within the Departments of Ayacucho, Cusco, Huancavelica, and Junin, due to crime and terrorism.

Crime, including petty theft, carjackings, muggings, assaults, and other violent crime, is common in Peru and can occur during daylight hours despite the presence of many witnesses.

Kidnapping is rare, but does occur. The risk of crime increases at night, the updated travel advisory reads.

The State Department is not advising travelers against travel to Peru, instead, it is simply alerting them to exercise increased caution.

It did, however, issue a Level 3: Reconsider Travel to Jamaica advisory earlier in May due to crime.

Violent crimes, such as home invasions, armed robberies, sexual assaults, and homicides, are common.

Sexual assaults occur frequently, including at all-inclusive resorts, the updated Level 3: Reconsider Travel advisory now reads.

The advisory cites some reasons why the State Department updated the warning, including that local police often do not respond effectively to serious criminal incidents and that “emergency services” and hospital care vary throughout the island, and response times and quality of care may vary from U.S. standards.

Still, most of the popular international destinations for U.S. travelers fall into the State Department’s Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution or Level 1: Exercise Normal Precautions categories.

That includes Japan (Level 1), France (Level 2), Italy (level 2), Germany (Level 2), Spain (Level 2), United Kingdom (Level 2), The Bahamas (Level 2), and Turks and Caicos (Level 2).

Aside from Jamaica and Colombia, the Level 3 countries also include Egypt, Hong Kong, China

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The United States issues new travel warning for Peru

T his week, the U.S. State Department issued an updated travel advisory for Peru . The travel warning reiterated its Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution advisory , focusing on providing updated information regarding crime in the country.

The Colombian-Peruvian border region in Loreto and the Puno Region, which includes the Peruvian side of Lake Titicaca, and the Apurimac Region, are advised against by the State Department owing to crime and unrest, respectively.

Additionally, due to crime and terrorism, the warning advises visitors to stay away from the Valley of the Apurimac, Ene, and Mantaro Rivers (VRAEM), which includes regions in the Departments of Ayacucho, Cusco, Huancavelica, and Junin.

Crime is a prevalent issue in Peru that encompasses a range of offenses, points out Travel Market Report , from minor theft to severe incidents such as “carjackings, muggings, and assaults.” Even with numerous witnesses, these violent crimes can occur during daylight hours. Although rare, kidnapping incidents do occur. According to the updated travel advisory, the crime risk escalates during nighttime. The State Department does, however, only warn passengers to proceed with greater caution; it doesn’t advise against traveling to Peru.

Various foreign locations that are popular travel destinations for Americans fall within the Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution or Level 1: Exercise Normal Precautions category of the State Department. This covers the Bahamas (Level 2), France (Level 2), Italy (Level 2), Germany (Level 2), Spain (Level 2), Japan (Level 1), and Turks & Caicos (Level 2). Level 3 nations include Egypt, Hong Kong, China, Colombia, and Jamaica.

Detour previously reported on the travel warning for Jamaica, which was issued a Level 3: Reconsider Travel caution in May due to rising crime rates.

“Violent crimes, such as home invasions, armed robberies, sexual assaults, and homicides, are common. Sexual assaults occur frequently, including at all-inclusive resorts,” the new Level 3: Reconsider Travel advisory now warns.

The State Department updated its warning for several reasons, according to the advisory, including the fact that local police “often do not respond effectively to serious criminal incidents” and that “emergency services and hospital care vary throughout the island, and response times and quality of care may vary from U.S. standards.”

Evie Blanco is a journalist with nearly a decade of experience born in the Dominican Republic and raised in Queens, New York. She is extremely well-versed in hip-hop music and culture and is always aware of its developments. Whether it’s the latest in pop culture, a fascinating foreign destination, a truly amazing new restaurant, or breaking news, she loves to write about it all. Evie can be reached at [email protected] .

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US State department updates travel advisory to Perú

• Nov 20, 2023
• Nov 20, 2023 Updated Nov 20, 2023

The U.S. State Department regularly issues travel advisories to Americans traveling abroad and every country in the world is assigned a level between 1-4.

Level 1 means exercise normal precautions, level 2 means exercise increased caution, and level 3 means reconsider travel to level 4, which is a do not travel warning.

This past week, The State Department issued an update for Perú, which while still maintaining a level 2: Exercise increased caution warning, the travel advisory has been updated with new warnings about crime in the country.

Travelers to Peru are warned to exercise increased caution due to crime, civil unrest, and the possibility of kidnapping.

The State Department has also identified areas of Perú that American citizens should avoid in their travel at all. These have been given a Level 4 – Do not travel warning:

- The Colombian-Peruvian border area in the Loreto Region due to crime.

- The Valley of the Apurimac, Ene, and Mantaro Rivers (VRAEM) including areas within the departments of Ayacucho, Cusco, Huancavelica, and Junin due to the risk of crime and terrorism.

In their advisory, the State Department said “Crimes like petty theft, carjackings, muggings, assault, and other violent crime is common in the country. This can happen even in daylight hours or when witnesses are present.”

For the US State Department Perú Travel Advisory, click here .

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U.S. State Department Reissues Travel Advisory for Peru

Lima, Peru. Photo: Shutterstock.com

The U.S. State Department updated its travel advisory for Peru this week, reissuing its Level 2: Excercise Increased Caution advisory with updates to crime information.

In its advisory, the State Department is warning travelers to avoid the Colombian-Peruvian border area in the Loreto due to crime and the Puno Region, including the Peruvian side of Lake Titicaca, and the Apurimac Region due to civil unrest.

It is also advising travelers to avoid the Valley of the Apurímac, Ene, and Mantaro Rivers (VRAEM), including areas within the Departments of Ayacucho, Cusco, Huancavelica, and Junin, due to crime and terrorism.

“Crime, including petty theft, carjackings, muggings, assaults, and other violent crime, is common in Peru and can occur during daylight hours despite the presence of many witnesses. Kidnapping is rare, but does occur. The risk of crime increases at night,” the updated travel advisory reads.

The State Department is not advising travelers against travel to Peru, instead, it is simply alerting them to exercise increased caution. It did, however, issue a Level 3: Reconsider Travel to Jamaica advisory earlier in May due to crime.

“Violent crimes, such as home invasions, armed robberies, sexual assaults, and homicides, are common. Sexual assaults occur frequently, including at all-inclusive resorts,” the  updated Level 3: Reconsider Travel advisory  now reads.

The advisory cites some reasons why the State Department updated the warning, including that local police “often do not respond effectively to serious criminal incidents” and that “emergency services and hospital care vary throughout the island, and response times and quality of care may vary from U.S. standards.”

Still, most of the popular international destinations for U.S. travelers fall into the State Department’s  Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution or Level 1: Exercise Normal Precautions categories . That includes Japan (Level 1), France (Level 2), Italy (level 2), Germany (Level 2), Spain (Level 2), United Kingdom (Level 2), The Bahamas (Level 2), and Turks and Caicos (Level 2).

Aside from Jamaica and Colombia, the Level 3 countries also include Egypt, Hong Kong, China

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State of Emergency Declared in Parts of Peru. Is It Safe to Travel There Right Now?

The Peruvian government last week declared a state of emergency in three districts due to an increase in crime.

The districts of San Juan de Lurigancho and San Martin de Porras, both in Lima, and the northern district of Talara near the country’s border with Ecuador have been included in the state of emergency. Two other regions are already in place in La Libertad and Apurimac-Cusco-Arequipa.

The state of emergency designation allows the military to assist local law enforcement in the suppression of crime, and some constitutional rights are suspended, including the right to liberty, the right to inviolability of the home, freedom of assembly, and freedom of movement.

The districts’ mayors reportedly requested the emergency designation due to significant challenges in maintaining citizen security, and in the wake of a hand grenade attack at San Juan de Lurigancho earlier this month which left 15 injured. Some right-wing lawmakers in Peru called the emergency measures insufficient, instead favoring the government hand complete law enforcement powers over to the military, similar to actions taken in El Salvador earlier this year.

The U.S. State Department currently rates Peru as Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution, due to crime, civil unrest, and the possibility of kidnapping.

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Britain’s Foreign Office further notes that protests in Peru can frequently upend both intracity and intercity transport, close airports, railway lines, bus stations, and the PanAmerican Highway. Visitors are advised to stay clear of protests and other conflicts, lest they be accused of participating in them. Peruvian law prohibits foreign nationals from participating in the country’s political process, including participating in political protests.

Travelers are also advised to follow any instructions given by the military or local law enforcement should they visit an area where the government has declared a state of emergency. The U.K.’s Foreign Office further notes that crime, including mugging, pickpocketing, purse-snatching, and kidnappings are common.

A common form of kidnapping in the country is the “express kidnapping,” where victims are abducted for a few hours then taken to an ATM and forced to withdraw money to pay their own ransoms. Stolen cell phones are also used to call family members of victims to extort ransoms, even though it may only be the phone that is stolen from the victim, who remains free.

Both the U.S. State Department and the U.K. Foreign Office advise visitors to Peru not to wear any flashy jewelry, to keep valuables out of site when riding in taxis, and to keep doors locked, as some perpetrators have used tools to shatter cab windows and grab anything of value within reach. Other armed robberies have been reported to local embassies, which remind travelers not to resist when being robbed.

State of emergencies have previously been issued in the Ayacucho, Huancavelica, Madre de Dios, and Cusco Regions, although notably the city of Cusco, Machu Picchu, and Manu Park were not included in the states of emergency.

The Foreign Office also notes that areas of greater security concern, or where local authorities currently have limited presence is also an indicator that consular services may be limited or unavailable to British citizens in those regions. Consular support may be particularly limited in times of emergency such as natural disasters, when the support available from local authorities also ebbs. U.S. citizens in the region can also expect limitations on consular services in these areas, which are dependent on the participation of local authorities.

Protests have rocked Peru since the ouster of former President Pedro Castillo in December. Human rights groups have accused security forces of excessive abuse and extrajudicial killings, while the country’s economic output has shrunk as tourism and other businesses were impacted by the halting of many of the country’s transport sectors due to the protests.

The protests mark the worst period of social unrest in Peru in over two decades.

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Peru Changes Its Mind Over Tit-For-Tat Visa Requirement for Mexico Visitors

LIMA (Reuters) - Peru will not require Mexican visitors to secure a visa to visit the South American nation, officials said on Wednesday, in a reversal after insisting last week it would match Mexico's newly-approved visa requirement for Peruvian visitors.

In a statement, Peru's foreign ministry pointed to pressure from the country's key hospitality sector for the government's about face. Local tourist trade group Apotur has estimated that a visa requirement for Mexican visitors could trigger some $250 million in losses.

The visa rule for Mexican nationals had been set to take effect on April 22.

Late last week, Mexico's government announced it will require a visa application for Peruvian nationals seeking to enter Mexican territory, amid a recent surge of largely U.S.-bound migrants from the South American country.

The Mexican measure is set to take effect at the end of next week, according to the announcement in the government's official gazette.

(Reporting by Marco Aquino; Editing by Marguerita Choy)

Copyright 2024 Thomson Reuters .

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U.S. State Department Updates Its Travel Advisory For Peru

Warning level 2 continues to apply for Peru: increased caution is required. However, new warnings about crime in the country have been added to the travel advisory. Due to crime, civil unrest, and the risk of kidnapping, travelers in Peru are advised to exercise increased caution.

Do not travel to:

• Due to criminal activity, exercise caution in the Colombian-Peruvian border region within the Loreto Region. 
• Additionally, be vigilant in the Valley of the Apurímac, Ene, and Mantaro Rivers (VRAEM), encompassing territories in the Departments of Ayacucho, Cusco, Huancavelica, and Junin, as it faces risks associated with crime and terrorism .

Overview of the Country

Crimes such as car thefts, robberies, assaults and other violent crimes are widespread in Peru and can also occur during the day. Although kidnappings are unusual, they do occur. Crimes tend to take place at night. Roadblocks have been used by organized crime gangs to rob victims outside of Lima, the country’s capital.

Latest Update

There has been considerable civil unrest in the department of Puno in recent months. Nevertheless, we strongly advise you to reconsider your need to visit the Puno region. To protect yourself, you should take safety precautions. Stay away from places affected by the unrest. If it is safe to do so, evacuate the area if protests start there. Follow the instructions of the local authorities. Contact your airline or travel company for the latest information.

Other Safety Recommendations

• Recent civil unrest has impacted certain areas in central and southern Peru, notably the Puno region, including Lake Titicaca. Stay clear of protests, stay informed through local media, and heed the guidance of local authorities.
• Instances of violent crime are prevalent, especially in Lima, Cusco, and Arequipa. Exercise caution when alone, especially at night, and be mindful of petty crime in public spaces, hotels, and restaurants. Thieves may appear well-dressed, so keep your belongings secure and valuables concealed. There is an increased incidence of street theft of mobile phones; refrain from using your phone at curbsides to prevent snatch-and-grab incidents.
• Travelers relying on unlicensed taxis have faced robbery and even assault. Avoid hailing taxis on the street; opt for licensed taxis through a phone dispatch service or a taxi app. Criminals may target stationary cars at traffic lights, so keep doors and windows locked while in motion. Robberies and assaults have been reported on intercity buses; avoid placing personal items on overhead racks or under seats, and choose reputable bus companies.
• Conduct thorough research on ayahuasca tour operators before making any bookings. 
• In remote areas, particularly the Southern Highlands, there is a potential presence of members from a local terrorist group. Exercise caution when venturing outside populated regions.