- The US Department of State issued a level-two travel advisory for Jamaica on Friday.
- The advisory describes “violent crime,” including sexual assaults and homicides, as “common.”
- US government personnel are barred from driving outside certain neighborhoods of Kingston, the country’s capital and largest city, at night, the advisory says.
- Fifty-seven other countries have a level-two travel advisory from the State Department, including Antarctica because of unpredictable weather.
The US Department of State on Friday issued a level-two travel advisory for Jamaica, telling travelers to “exercise increased caution.” There are four advisory levels, ranging from “exercise normal precautions” to “do not travel.”
The advisory says that “violent crime, such as home invasions, armed robberies, and homicide is common” in Jamaica, as well as that “sexual assaults occur frequently, including at all-inclusive resorts.”
Some 4.3 million tourists visited Jamaica in 2017, a record for the Caribbean island nation. But in recent months, reports of violent crime directed at tourists in Jamaica have surfaced.
In an investigation by the Detroit Free Press published in November, several women said that they were sexually assaulted at Sandals Resorts properties in Jamaica and that they were asked to not report them in exchange for free stays and other compensation.
Earlier this year, an elderly Canadian couple were found dead in their vacation home in Jamaica. They are thought to have been killed.
The State Department's advisory says to avoid Spanish Town, as well as certain neighborhoods of Kingston and Montego Bay where "violence and shootings occur regularly." It also says US government personnel are barred from driving outside some Kingston neighborhoods at night.
"Local police lack the resources to respond effectively to serious criminal incidents," it says.
Canada has also advised citizens who visit Jamaica to "exercise a high degree of caution" because of violent crime. The UK has a similar advisory, though it says most visits to Jamaica are "trouble-free."
The State Department has level-two travel advisories for 57 other countries, including France, Germany, Spain, and the Netherlands. Those advisories mostly cite an uptick in terrorism concerns in Western Europe.
Antarctica also has a level-two travel advisory because of "environmental hazards posed by extreme and unpredictable weather."
There are 15 level-three advisories and 13 level-four advisories, including a caution against all travel to Haiti because of "crime and civil unrest." The State Department advises visitors to Haiti to get travel and medical-evacuation insurance before they go and ensure they are not being followed when they leave the airport.