U.S. State Department issues travel advisories for The Bahamas and Jamaica

With spring and summer right around the corner, more travel advisories are released for popular destinations. The U.S. State Department issued travel warnings for people going to Jamacia and the Bahamas.

Coming on the heels of a recent advisory for people heading to Colombia, increasing crime is cited as the reason to warn travelers heading to either Jamacia or The Bahamas. The Bahamas has a Level 2 advisory which calls to “exercise increased caution,” while Jamacia carries a Level 3 to “reconsider travel.” The increase in dangerous crimes included sexual assaults which are frequently reported.

The report on The Bahamas offers such instructions as do not answer your hotel door, do not attempt to resist a robbery attempt and keep caution when staying on short-term vacation properties. Travelers are warned to not go to Jamacia at all thanks to issues like home invasions, armed robberies, homicides, and more.

Even with these warnings in place, there doesn’t seem to be much of a slowdown in either location. Christina Jelski of Travel Weekly reported that few cancellations have occurred in the days since these reports dropped.

“We have normal operations at our resorts, and none of these issues are impacting our areas or our hotels specifically, Fernando Mulet, of Playa Hotels & Resorts said in Jelski’s piece. “Our properties have strong protocols and their own security teams, and if you’re not a guest at one of our all-inclusive resorts, you cannot access the resort.”

These reports were released weeks after the U.S. State Department issued a similar warning for those heading to Colombia. That report especially focused on using dating apps in those countries due to a string of homicides involving American citizens.

Even without these advisories in place, it is important to be mindful of your surroundings when traveling. If you’re unable to travel in a group, be mindful of the people around you, and avoid going to areas of the city mentioned in these types of reports.