About the 5 homicides of Jamaican Americans in Jamaica
Is it fair that the Caribbean paradise is just one step away from being labeled a ‘Do not travel’ zone ? Jamaica has received a Level 3 travel advisory warning on Jan 23, 2024. Crimes against tourists in Jamaica are very low, about 0.01 percent according to the Jamaican Tourist Board. Now, you may think that the Tourist Board which relies on tourism may try to cover up crimes and also downplay all potential dangers. So, let’s not trust the authenticity of the Tourist Board right now. Instead, let’s do our own research. Ask anyone how their Jamaican vacation went. They will tell you how scenic and fun it was which is far from feeling unsafe or being in danger.
There are way more crimes against tourists in Cancun and yet Mexico comes with a Level 2 warning. I am not implying that Mexico should come with a higher level of warning or that the US should discourage people from visiting Mexico. I am just saying that the Level 3 warning for Jamaica is not fair. Meanwhile, crimes against tourists in Colombia have increased 200 percent in 2023. Many tourists are drugged and robbed in Colombia on a regular basis. So it makes sense that Colombia comes with a Level 3 travel warning. But why Jamaica would come with the same level of warning as Colombia is beyond the understanding of Jamaicans? This is why the Jamaican authorities have retaliated against this unjust treatment by the US. Jamaican Ambassador for the US Audrey Marks calls out to reverse the warning in Roland Martin Daily Digital Show . She calls the US a friend of Jamaica and requests a review of this decision. She is the only person who talks about the homicide of 5 Jamaican American tourists in Jamaica and hints on how they were involved in illicit activities. But other than that I could not find a single clue about the homicides anywhere else on the internet.
It is extremely unfair to discourage people from visiting a developing nation like Jamaica which heavily relies on tourism. In 2021 Jamaica welcomed almost 1.3 million tourists from the United States. In 2022, and in 2023 over 3 million Americans vacationed in Jamaica. It seems like the numbers keep increasing every year until Jamaica got slapped with a travel warning. If people didn’t feel safe the numbers wouldn’t be increasing. With 34 percent of Jamaica’s revenue contingent on tourism, many vendors, restaurants, tourist guides, cab drivers, photographers rely on the tourists. A decrease in the number of tourists would have a serious impact on their livelihoods. The reason why Jamaicans are contesting this warning is because this kind of warning can devastate their economy and will hurt the lives of many.
Ras Semaj, a local meditation counsellor I met online, located in Portland Jamaica explained why the level of warning is not fair. “All crimes committed are Jamaicans against Jamaicans, if criminals targeted tourists, the authorities would track them down with all their might. If you have an American passport you are untouchable.”
I was curious about this travel warning and I kept Googling about it. I read articles after articles on the travel warning in Jamaica. I was looking for clues about what happened to those 5 American tourists in Jamaica. What kind of incidents led the decision makers come up with this sort of a warning. But every single article I found online seems to be parroting the same content without providing the stories about the incidents. The articles talk about sexual harassment and assaults that happened between 2011 and 2017. Yes, there have been rapes, sexual harassments inside the all inclusive resorts but they are a bit dated too. Once brought to light, Jamaican authorities took effective measures to put an end to this. Hence, the stories are not recent.
Also, America is comparing Jamaican medical emergency services to the standards of the US. Should American standards be the metric for medical emergencies all over the world? Jamaica is a developing nation and anyone visiting Jamaica should keep that in mind and buy travelers insurance. Doctors in many parts of the world would require cash payments from foreigners which can be inconvenient for the patient. Many countries with no travel warning would also fail to live up to the standards of developed nations in case of medical emergencies. It is very common for tourists visiting Jamaica to get travel insurance. In many cruise lines travel insurance to Jamaica can cost around $50 to $70 but it is worth the trip and the savvy tourist is aware of this.
Meanwhile a quick search through Airbnb for rentals in Jamaica proves that not many people are taking such warnings seriously. Almost all scenic condos, townhouses, villas etc are booked for the entire year. American Cruise ships to Jamaica are getting booked quickly. If policymakers want their warnings to be taken seriously by travelers, they should have provided some hardcore evidence of the events that triggered this warning and the names and stories of the 5 Jamaican Americans who were murdered in Jamaica. My heartfelt condolences to their families. I am sure their families had stories they wanted to share.
Peace 🕊
Samanja
