Jamaica and The Bahamas Respond to State Department Travel Warnings

Two of the most popular destinations for North American travelers were the subject of recent headlines because of upgrades, or updates, from the U.S. State Department—both Jamaica and The Bahamas were targets of some of the most recent advisories from the State Department.  

The advisories, in general, warn Americans about travel to certain destinations because of things like crime, civil unrest, terrorism, and more.

Aside from the Level 4: Do Not Travel warnings, which right now includes countries such as Russia, Syria, Ukraine, Haiti, and more, none of the advisories tell travelers not to travel to certain destinations. Rather, they tell travelers what to consider, and what to be aware of, ahead of travel.

With questions coming in from consumers, and consumer headlines about the destinations coming across advisors and client desks, both Jamaica and The Bahamas responded to their most recent warnings. Here’s what they said:

Jamaica
A lot of the consumer media coverage is highlighted by violent crime in Jamaica, including 65 murders in January, and the update to the Jamaica advisory specifically cites “crime and medical services,” and a lack of support on the ground for U.S. citizens who are the victims of crime or of accidents.

“When arrests are made, cases are infrequently prosecuted to a conclusive sentence. Families of U.S. citizens killed in accidents or homicides frequently wait a year or more for final death certificates to be issued by Jamaican authorities,” the advisory says.

Talking to TMR this week, a spokesperson for the Jamaica Tourist Board said that the areas mentioned in the advisory, even the parts of St. James Parish and Montego Bay in the advisory, are “distinctly defined areas within the country” that most tourists already avoid. It also added that the actual crime rate against tourists to Jamaica is and has remained low, despite the headlines.

“There are very distinctly defined areas within Jamaica that the advisory cites as having a high risk for crime, so the majority of the island’s tourism product remains unaffected.  Overall, the crime rate against visitors to Jamaica remains extremely low at 0.01%,” it said.

The Board also told TMR that Jamaica has been dealing with a Level 3: Reconsider Travel warning since early 2022, something that has not impacted the country.

“The island consistently ranks among the top destinations for international travel, welcoming 4.1 million visitors in 2023, including 2.1 million from the United States,” it added.

The Board also wanted advisors to know that context is important to any advisory and that Jamaica is one of 200 destinations that the State Department has warned about it one way or another. Jamaica is still only one of the major outbound U.S. tourist destinations to be in that Level 3 category. Others in the Caribbean, including The Bahamas and Cuba, are in Level 2.

The Bahamas
Just like the level of Jamaica’s advisory has not changed despite the update and consumer headlines, the level of The Bahamas remains the same.

“The rating of The Bahamas has not changed; we remain a level 2 alongside most tourism destinations.  The incidents described in the January 2024 US Embassy crime alert do not reflect general safety in The Bahamas, a country of sixteen (16) tourism destinations, and many more islands,” the Prime Minister of The Bahamas Philip Davis said in a statement last week.

Like its Jamaica warning, the State Department’s advisory calls out crime in specific parts of The Bahamas, particularly on New Providence (Nassau) and Grand Bahama (Freeport) islands.

“Violent crime, such as burglaries, armed robberies, and sexual assaults, occur in both tourist and non-tourist areas. Be vigilant when staying at short-term vacation rental properties where private security companies do not have a presence,” the advisory reads.

The Bahamas, which welcomed 9 million visitors in 2023, is working to stop those issues. The Prime Minister said the island has started a crime reduction and prevention strategy that focuses on five pillars—prevention, detection, prosecution, punishment, and rehabilitation.

“The safety and security of everyone is of paramount importance to us and we are confident that The Bahamas will remain safe and welcoming for millions of visitors to continue to enjoy the magic and beauty of our beautiful islands,” Davis added.