What to Know About the U.S.'s Level 3 Travel Warning for Jamaica

Travelers are urged by the US State Department to rethink their plans to visit Jamaica.

A Level 3 travel advisory is in effect for the nation because of its "crime and medical services." According to the agency, "violent crimes, such as home invasions, armed robberies, sexual assaults, and homicides" are common in the nation, and sexual assaults happen often, even at "all-inclusive resorts." This is why it changed its travel alert on January 23.

"The homicide rate reported by the Government of Jamaica has, for several years, been among the highest in the Western Hemisphere," the alert states. 

According to the organization, shootings and other violent crimes "occur regularly" in many parts of the nation, and local police "do not respond effectively to serious criminal incidents." Several neighborhood communities in Jamaica were classified as high-risk travel areas.

Travelers to Jamaica should be aware that there are not enough resources and that medical professionals with different response times are hard to come by.

Potential travelers were advised to get travel insurance because Medicare and U.S. health insurance might not be accepted abroad and because Medicare does not apply abroad. Avoiding public transportation, avoiding remote areas, and not driving or walking at night are some advices for visitors to Jamaica.

The warning was also disseminated by the American Embassy in Jamaica.

RELATED: Due to a recent spate of murders, Americans are advised not to travel to Jamaica by the United States

Edmund Bartlett, the minister of tourism for Jamaica, said earlier this month that the number of visitors to the nation increased by "substantial" amounts in the previous year.

"We saw 4.15 million visitors in total in 2023—a significant 24% increase over the year before. This illustrates Destination Jamaica's extraordinary appeal. This includes 2,886,064 stopover tourists, an increase of 16.4% from the 2022 figure. A press release from Bartlett states that "there were 1,265,586 cruise arrivals recorded for the year, representing a whopping 48.3% increase over the number of cruise passengers that visited the island in 2022."

Days after the U.S. State Department issued a level 2 advisory for the Bahamas due to crime rates, the travel alert was changed. Travelers were advised by the agency to "exercise increased caution" when near the water.

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"There is inconsistent regulation of commercial recreational watercraft activities, such as water tours. Some boat operators might not possess safety certifications, and the craft may receive inadequate maintenance. Prior to participating in any water-based activities, always check the local weather and marine alerts and pay attention to them," the alert stated.