Mexico’s drug violence didn’t deter tourists last year

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The tumbling peso appears to have been a strong pull for tourists tempted by Mexico last year.

That’s despite the bad news flowing out of the country about the violent drug war that continues to rock certain parts of the country and has killed more than 7,000 people since the beginning of 2007. As the Associated Press reports, the number of foreign tourists visiting Mexico surged to 23 million in 2008, up 5.9% from the year before, spurred by the tumbling value of the peso against the dollar.

But the U.S. State Department remains cautious, and issued a new travel advisory on Friday warning potential tourists about increased violence on the U.S.-Mexico border.

-- Deborah Bonello in Mexico City