U.S. Reissues Level 4: Do Not Travel Advisory for Haiti

The U.S. State Department is again telling Americans to avoid traveling to Haiti due to kidnapping, crime, civil unrest, and limited health care.

The country has been under a state of emergency since March 2024, the month when armed gangs stormed the country’s two largest prisons, resulting in more than 4,700 inmates escaping. The State Department has since said that crimes involving firearms are common in Haiti, including robberies, carjackings, and kidnappings for ransom, with U.S. citizen targeted.

The Port-au-Prince airport “can be a focal point for armed activity,” it said, with criminals often targeting lone drivers, especially women. The State Department also cannot help Americans who do decide to travel to Haiti and are victims of crime.

“The U.S. government is very limited in its ability to help U.S. citizens in Haiti. Local police and other first responders often lack the resources to respond to emergencies or serious crime,” it said.

Haiti is just one of a few countries that the U.S. warns its citizens not to travel to. Others currently on the Level 4: Do Not Travel list including Russia, Iraq, Ukraine, Libya, and Lebanon.

Travel impact

For travel, the biggest impact from the escalation in Haiti has been Royal Caribbean dropping Labadee from its Caribbean itineraries because of safety and security concerns. Royal has dropped all calls to Labadee, its private destination that hosts not just Royal but also Celebrity Cruises, at least through September.

TMR has reached out to Royal Caribbean to confirm its plans to return to Labadee next month.