State Department Issues Level 2 Ecuador Advisory as Americans Made Up 33% of 2025 Visitors
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Aug 21
State Department Issues Level 2 Ecuador Advisory as Americans Made Up 33% of 2025 Visitors
1 articles · Updated · Fox News · Aug 21
Summary
Level 2 "Exercise Increased Caution" guidance now covers Ecuador, with the State Department warning travelers about violent crime, terrorism and kidnapping.
Drug-trafficking-linked murders, assaults, armed robberies and extortion drove the alert, and officials said U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents have been among kidnapping victims.
Parts of Guayaquil and the coastal provinces of Manabí and Santa Elena are among the areas drawing heightened concern, while Quito, Cuenca and the Galápagos Islands were not labeled "Do Not Travel" or "Reconsider Travel."
Demonstrations can still block roads and disrupt transport and services, and U.S. officials warned help may be limited in Ecuador's remote areas.
About one-third of Ecuador's international arrivals in 2025 were Americans, underscoring the advisory's reach for one of the country's biggest tourist groups.