On July 17th, the US State Department issued an updated travel advisory for those wishing to visit Haiti. While it’s obviously still not the most flattering of advisories, there’s an important distinction: the previous advisory, issued in January of ‘09, stated that only “essential travel” should take place to Haiti.

Here’s the new language:

The State Department warns U.S. citizens to exercise a high degree of caution when traveling to Haiti.  While the overall security situation has improved, political tensions remain, and the potential for politically-motivated violence persists.  This Travel Warning replaces the Travel Warning dated January 28, 2009, and is being issued to provide updated information on country conditions, and to alert Americans to ongoing security concerns and on contacting and registering with the U.S. Embassy in Haiti.

You can read the full briefing here.