Do not wander the resort after dark. Keep flashy clothing and jewelry to a minimum. Stay aware of your surroundings. Those are some of the travel rules that Ginger Moore, a retired logistics analyst from Panama City, Fla., follows on her solo trips throughout the Caribbean.
Ms. Moore, 75, has always felt safe during his stay in Jamaica, where he will return for the fourth time on Wednesday. But this year, while he was still happy to travel, a travel advisory for Jamaica, reissued in January by the US State Department, raises his concerns.
“I’m sure there are parts, like the United States, that you can go to that are not recommended,” Ms. Moore. However, he took new precautions for his upcoming trip, such as packing extra health supplies and purchasing a security bar for the sliding balcony door of his hotel room.
In recent weeks, the State Department and US Embassies have issued new and updated advisories urging travelers to Mexico, Jamaica and the Bahamas – some of the busiest international spring destinations break – to be careful after the recent violent events, some of the tourist areas. Security experts suggest the advice is more in line with advisories of previous years.
Caroline Hammer, a global security analyst at the risk intelligence company RANEtourists said the advisories should be interpreted as warnings to be careful and avoid specific areas for crime, but not as a blanket rule to restrict their travel anywhere in the region.
What do the travel warnings say?
Spring break travel warnings in some parts of the Mexico came in recent days, as security alerts and updated travel advisories for Jamaica and the Bahamas was released in late January.
The State Department has classified Jamaica at Level 3 since 2022, recommending to visitors “reconsider the trip” due to episodes of violent crime. The agency reissued the travel advisory in January to also alert tourists about access to medical services, and warned that “sexual assaults occur frequently, including at all-inclusive resorts.”
Kamina Johnson Smith, foreign affairs and foreign trade minister of Jamaica, said in a statement published two days later that the country had made “significant improvements” in its response to crime and in its health care infrastructure and disagreed with the advisory’s scope.
“The Jamaican government is disappointed that the language used does not reflect the significant progress of our country,” he said.
Data from the Jamaican national police force shows that as of March 1, several categories of crime, including murders, break-ins and rapes, were down compared to the same period in 2023, even as shootings and assaults increased.
In the Bahamas, gang violence and several murders have prompted US officials to urge tourists to “increased caution,” especially in the cities of Nassau and Freeport. Recreational boat tours, jet ski rentals and other water activities are not uniformly regulated, the advisory also states, and have led to injuries and deaths.
In early February, two female travelers said they had too much to drink at a cruise stop in the Bahamas and accused resort staff of sexually assaulting them.
Last week, in a statement specifically addressing spring break travel, the US Embassy in Mexico reiterated the precautions outlined in a State Department travel advisory, last updated last summer, issued because of crime and kidnapping. It reminded tourists to be cautious when visiting the downtown areas of Cancún, Playa del Carmen and Tulum, all in Quintana Roo State.
The advisory also recommends traveling by toll road during daylight hours, and staying close to major cities, which have a higher presence of police and other emergency services.
What is behind the warning in Mexico?
Organized crime groups in Mexico largely keep violent activity outside the resorts to avoid hurting the tourism industry, Ms. Hammer, by RANE. The cartels, he said, depend on the tourists themselves, by selling drugs to visitors and extorting local businesses, and this will generate an increased response from the Mexican government.
In 2023, tourists spent nearly $3.1 billion in Mexico, up 10 percent from 2022, according to data from the tourism ministry, with many travelers heading to Cancún.
A number of violent episodes last year included the kidnapping of two Americans who crossed the border near Brownsville, Texas, and were found dead, as well as heated disputes between rival taxi and Uber drivers in Cancún. The violence came on the heels of several battles and murders in late 2021 and early 2022 that drove tourists along the Riviera Maya.
“The good news is that the incidents that have been reported within the resorts are very rare,” said Ms. Hammer.
In its latest advisory, the State Department warned that shootings by rival gangs, “while not directed at tourists,” have caught some in the crossfire, even at resorts. Last month, an American woman was killed during a drug-related shootings at a beach club in Tulum. Prosecutors in Quintana Roo said he was a bystander.
Despite these incidents, the security picture in Mexico generally remains unchanged, said Zachary Rabinor, the founder and president of Travel to Mexicoa luxury travel company.
“A lot of it is kind of generalized, stereotypical fear,” he said, adding that tourists shouldn’t interpret violent episodes as events, especially in resort destinations that are popular among guest
“There are definitely still places that are troubled, but in general, they’re not where tourists go,” Mr. Rabinor said.
What’s behind the warning for the Bahamas?
In January, the Bahamian president, Philip Davis, shared his government’s plan to reduce criminal activity after a spate of murders, mostly gang-related.
“If you choose crime, you will face the full weight and power of the law,” Mr. Davis said in a national address on Jan. 24. The calling tone was a sharp turn from a celebration just a month ago, when the Bahamian Ministry of tourism announced the country reaches a record eight million travelers in 2023.
As police tackle crime outside the resorts, the Bahamian foreign affairs ministry, in a statement published shortly after the alert of the US Embassy, that the country does not believe that the tourists are under any new “elevated or increased security risk.”
What can you do to stay safe?
Effective safety measures can be as simple as staying vigilant, and planning ahead by purchasing travel insurance and updating emergency contact lists. Other general measures recommended in the advisories include avoiding walking or driving in resort areas at night, avoiding public transport and obeying local laws.
The high number of travelers around spring break can make tourism police forces, in places where they exist, slower to respond to emergency calls, Ms. Hammer of the RANE Network.
Arranging transportation through a travel company or a resort for excursions or airport trips is highly recommended, said Scott Stewart, the vice president for intelligence at security firm TorchStone Global.
“A lot of times, there’s not much of a gap between criminals and taxi drivers in many countries, so the use of a trusted transportation provider is huge,” Mr. Stewart said.
He also recommends “grey travel,” a term used in security circles for keeping a low profile, such as not displaying luxury items that might attract the attention of criminals.
The State Department’s reissued warning raised concerns for Ms. Moore, the traveler on his way to Jamaica, but this did not hinder his journey.
“In the tourist areas, I’m just comfortable,” he said. “I’ve never had a bad experience, knock on wood, and I love Jamaica. That’s why I keep coming back.”
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