The U.S. State Department has Jamaica under a Level 3 tourism warning, “reconsider travel,” its second strictest rating. But the Caribbean island nation remains an extremely popular destination for holidayers from everywhere.
Jamaica saw a record two million international arrivals in 2024. And it’s home to five ports that major cruise lines like Carnival (CCL) and Royal Caribbean (RCL) use: Montego Bay, Falmouth, Ochos Rios, Port Antonio and Kingston.
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The advisory that the State Department updated for Jamaica in August 2024 says “violent crime occurs throughout Jamaica” but “tourist areas generally see lower rates … than other parts of the country.”
Jamaica is both a popular cruise-ship stop and regular vacation destination for travelers in search of beaches and island culture.
Image source: Pixabay
Secretary Rubio: U.S. will revisit Jamaica advisory
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, currently on a two-day tour of the Caribbean, kicked off a March 27 stop in Kingston by offering to revisit the current advisory for Jamaica.
The State Department’s four-tier advisory system starts at Level 1 for countries considered safe and reserves the strictest level for war zones and authoritarian governments.
“We pledged we’re going to go back and reevaluate the travel advisories as they currently stand to ensure that they do reflect the reality of the new numbers and what the numbers show,” Rubio said.
Related: U.S Embassy sends out travel advisory for another vacation destination
He added that the country has “made very impressive progress in your general numbers overall when it comes to the murder rate and so forth.”
The current advisory for Jamaica reflects a rising homicide rate of 40.1 for every 100,000 people and difficulties that foreigners have had in getting the police to respond to crimes.
“U.S. citizens report slow or unsatisfactory response to serious criminal incidents,” the advisory currently reads. “When arrests are made, cases are infrequently prosecuted to a final verdict and sentence.”
Jamaica officials: Level 3 warning hurts tourism
In the meeting with Rubio, Jamaican officials said the U.S.’s Level 3 warning was detrimental to their tourism industry and the perception of Jamaica as a country.
The current advisory also says visitors “should not expect the same level of health care available in Jamaica as is available in the United States.” Local officials say these statements are alarmist and will push many away from traveling to the country.
Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness welcomed what he called Rubio’s commitment to “work collaboratively to ensure that travel advisories reflect the current realities and promote travel to Jamaica.”
More on travel:
Trump starts presidency with three executive orders affecting travelGovernment issues new travel advisory on popular beach destinationAnother country just issued a new visa requirement for visitors
During the visit, Rubio also faced criticism about the Trump administration’s threat to stop visas for Jamaican officials who spearheaded a program to bring Cuban medical professionals to the country.
Rubio has defended the statements by claiming the workers are victims of human trafficking, while Holness says the program provides economic opportunities for both Jamaica and Cuba.
As part of his Caribbean tour, Rubio is also slated to visit Guyana and Suriname on March 27.
While these countries are significantly less popular than Jamaica, they also see a number of cruise visitors every year. Suriname’s capital, Paramaribo, is a designated Unesco World Heritage Site but is currently a stop only on smaller cruises run by luxury lines.
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