After a record-breaking tourism 12 months in 2023, Jamaica is now seeing an unprecedented stage of customer cancellations because of a latest journey advisory issued by the US, urging its residents to rethink journey to the island.
The U.S. State Division issued the Stage 3 advisory (the second-highest class) for Jamaica on January 23, saying that violent crimes on the island are frequent and that sexual assaults happen often, together with at all-inclusive resorts.
The warning additionally says that native police typically don’t reply successfully to severe legal incidents and that emergency providers and hospital care differ all through the island and can’t at all times present high-level or specialised care.
In line with Jamaica’s Ambassador to the US, Audrey Marks, there was a report variety of cancellations because the advisory was revealed.
“For the reason that issuance of the journey advisory and its protection by nationwide and worldwide media shops, there’s an impression that there’s an outbreak of violence in Jamaica,” she said in a statement.
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“Consequently, there was a spike in customer cancellations that has by no means been skilled earlier than, significantly group bookings equivalent to enterprise, authorities, college students, and church buildings conferences the place journey insurance coverage has both elevated or not been made out there due to the issuance of this journey advisory.”
Ambassador Marks stated that the advisory “distorts the fact” of what Jamaica is de facto like and has urged the US authorities to rethink.
She identified that severe crimes in opposition to vacationers are extraordinarily uncommon in Jamaica. In truth, the info, she stated, reveals that American vacationers are safer in Jamaica than in lots of cities in the US.
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She additionally famous that Jamaica has not skilled army coups, terrorist assaults, worldwide piracy, bombings, or random mass shootings, like many different nations which have Level 2 or Level 1 advisories in place.
“The potential detrimental affect of the journey advisory on Jamaica’s economic system is in depth and requires all stakeholders to take part within the means of persuading the US State Division to revise ‘this punitive motion,’” she stated.
Questionable timing?
Prime Minister Andrew Holness has additionally weighed in on the advisory, questioning the content material and timing.
In an interview with Travel Weekly alongside Sandals Resorts CEO Adam Stewart, the Prime Minister pushed again on the advisory. “This got here out of left discipline,” Holness stated. “It runs counter to the story of Jamaica within the final 5 years. It isn’t supported by the development in statistics.”
Simply two weeks earlier than the advisory was launched, the Financial Times gave a glowing report in regards to the island, calling it “arguably one of the exceptional and radical however underappreciated turnaround tales in financial historical past,” largely as a result of its tourism sector.
In 2023, the island noticed roughly 4.1 million customer arrivals, a 16 p.c improve over the earlier 12 months’s numbers and a 7.5 p.c improve over 2019’s pre-pandemic numbers. Of this complete, greater than half of the island’s guests are from the U.S. alone at roughly 3 million.
The crime statistics additionally paint a glowing image: Holness stated severe crime was down by 11% final 12 months, murders down by 8%, rapes down 15%. Throughout the board, he stated, crime was at a 22-year low.
“The problem we face is that all the pieces that’s stated within the journey advisory runs counter to Jamaica’s story of restoration, to Jamaica’s story of coming to grips with the challenges of being a creating nation.”
The prime minister stated the federal government has invested closely in nationwide safety, tourism, and its healthcare sector to make sure guests are secure.
