( CNN ) -- A recent wave of violence caused by turf wars between rival drug cartels and security forces in Mexico has kept many American and international tourists away from the United States ' neighbor to the south . Recently , the U.S. State Department broaded its travel warning for Mexico , singling out 11 states and warning Americans not to drive at nighttime . But a top Mexican tourism official says the country 's major tourists spots are `` perfectly safe . '' Mexico Tourism Board 's Chief Operating Officer Rodolfo Lopez Negrete recently visited the United States to promote Mexican destinations . In an interview with CNN , he said he is confident that more tourists will visit Mexico this year . CNN : How much was tourism affected by the violence last year ? Rodolfo Lopez Negrete : 2010 was a very good year for Mexico . We considered it to be a rebound year . ( More than ) 22 million tourists visited Mexico last year . CNN : I was recently in Acapulco and I noticed that a lot of the hotels that normally this time of the year receive spring breakers , mainly from the United States , are completely empty . So , some of the things that you 're telling me do not correspond to the reality I saw there . Lopez : We 're working on a transformation program for Acapulco to rehabilitate Costera Miguel Aleman [ the avenue that runs along the bay ] which is one of the landmarks of Acapulco . We 're working on additional air connectivity out of the U.S. market and international points of origin . CNN : But Mr. Lopez , the main problem in Acapulco is not necessarily infrastructure , but the violence . What are the Mexican government and the Tourism Board doing to solve this problem ? Lopez : Mexico is a very large country . When you take into account the distance between Ciudad Juarez [ the most violent city in Mexico ] and Cancun , you 're talking about 1,400 miles of distance . Puerto Vallarta is 1,000 miles away and Los Cabos about 1,600 miles away . That is equivalent to the distance between New York and Houston or New York and Dallas . CNN : But the fact still remains that violence is a serious problem in Mexico . Would n't you agree ? Lopez : Yes we agree , and we understand the fact that these episodes have created a certain level of perception that is undesirable , but these have occurred in very specific pockets of the country . Opinion : Why Mexico 's violence is America 's problem . CNN : Your office says that 22.4 million travelers visited Mexico last year . What is the expectation for this year ? Lopez : We have a plan that we have put together until the year 2018 . Mexico would like to become one of the most popular destinations in the world . And although we already rank among the top 10 in the world , we would like to escalate that number . For 2011 our goal is to increase our business from 22.4 to 26 million tourists . CNN : Are Americans still visiting Mexico ? Lopez : Seventy-five percent of the total number of last year 's 22.4 million visitors originated in North America . The U.S. remains the number one market , followed by Canada . CNN : What about those traveling specifically by air ? Lopez : Out of the 10 million tourists that we get by air into the different Mexican destinations , the United States generates 6.5 million of those 10 million . U.S. warns of travel on Mexican buses . CNN : What do you say to people abroad who watch news about the violence and have concerns about traveling to Mexico ? Lopez : We would like to tell the untold story . Although we have experienced violence , it has been concentrated in very specific parts of the country . The major tourism destinations are perfectly safe , whether you talk about sun-and-beach resorts or inland destinations . CNN : What about risks for those traveling into Mexico by land ? Lopez : We have 50 million border crossings per year . When you take that into account , the ratio or the number of people that have suffered from violence is really minimal . CNN : Has affordability been affected by the recent wave of violence ? Lopez : Mexico is a very diversified country . We believe that the combination of the fantastic sun-and-beach resorts coupled with the wonderful cultural wealth that we offer make it a very attractive destination for summer travel . From a value perspective , the quality of the tourism options in Mexico over the last 10 years has improved dramatically . If you compare that with the price that we 're charging right now , it makes it a very attractive proposition for travel .
This week , the U.S. State Department expanded its travel warning for Mexico . Top tourism official recently visited U.S. to promote Mexico as safe . `` The major tourism destinations are perfectly safe , '' says Rodolfo Lopez Negrete . Lopez says the country 's goal this year is to increase the number of tourists to 26 million .