US to re-open consulate at Mexican resort after threat

The US consulate at the Mexican Caribbean resort of Playa del Carmen will re-open Monday after it was closed for several days due to an unspecified security threat, the US embassy said. US government personnel are banned from several area neighborhoods until further notice, but "are authorized to travel to resort areas in Riviera Maya including those near Playa del Carmen," the statement read. The beachside tourist magnets of Cancun and Playa del Carmen are located in the Riviera Maya, on Mexico's Yucatan peninsula. US government personnel, however, are still banned from using ferry services between Playa del Carmen and the nearby port city of Cozumel. The ban comes after an explosion in February aboard one of the ferries that injured 15 Mexicans and three Canadians. The Quintana Roo state government said on March 1 that three unexploded homemade bombs were found aboard a tourist ferry anchored near Conzumel. Local media reported that the bombs were related to a feud between the state government and ex-governor Roberto Borge, currently in prison on corruption charges. The Yucatan peninsula is an important transshipment point for illegal narcotics coming from South America enroute to the United States. Tourism is Mexico's third largest source of foreign exchange. In 2017 the country hit a new record -- 39.3 million tourists who generated $21 billion in business.