How Should Travelers Regard U.S. State Department Advisories?

What is the value of a U.S. State Department travel advisory? Issues surrounding that question came into focus late last month when a re-issued Level 3 advisory contained updated language.

Before I begin, I want to make clear that I believe in the U.S. State Department’s responsibility to advise citizens of the safety and health risks they may encounter while traveling. By all appearances, the job is conducted with the best interests of travelers’ well-being in mind.

However, the road traveled to accomplish the State Department’s goals is often beset by troubling detours.

For example, the latest update maintains Jamaica’s Level 3 advisory but adds, “tourist areas generally see lower rates of violent crime than other parts of the country.” The advisory did not provide data to support its conclusions on crime in Jamaica.

Ironically, Jamaica’s tourism minister, Edmund Bartlett, asserted earlier this year that its tourist zones are generally crime-free.

Bartlett also said in January that the crime rate involving visitors is measured at 0.01 percent, and the country has experienced its lowest crime rate in 22 years, with serious crimes decreasing 11 percent year-over-year in 2023.

Bartlett also noted that the Level 3 advisory is not new “and has been in effect since early 2022.”

The latter trend hasn’t escaped the notice of veteran travel sellers. Such advisories “often list the date of an update, but they don’t state that the update is different or the same from the prior listing,” said Jennifer Donscecz, owner of VIP Vacations.

This dichotomy “makes travelers think the update is something new—oftentimes it is not,” said Donscecz. At the least, travelers might question the timeliness of such advisories.

Meanwhile, Jamaican tourism leaders, including Prime Minister Andrew Holness and Adam Stewart, executive chairman of Sandals Resorts International, disputed the advisory re-issued in January.

The advisory casts Jamaica as a crime-ridden country when the general trajectory of crimes, particularly serious crimes, are all heading down, the leaders said.

Objections weren't solely expressed among Jamaican officials. Audrey Marks, Jamaica's ambassador to the United States, called for the State Department to retract the January advisory, describing its depiction of elevated crime and inadequate healthcare in Jamaica as “inaccurate."

Unfortunately, fear of crime is not an unfamiliar sentiment among U.S. residents. Yet just as officials assert is the case in Jamaica, U.S. crime levels are also falling.

Perhaps the best strategy for travelers to pursue is to consult an advisor before deciding on traveling to any international destination, followed by the application of some common sense.

“Certainly there are times and situations when there should be a travel advisory in the U.S.,” observed Brenda O’Neale, owner of With This Ring Destination Wedding Agency. “I believe when traveling exercise the same cautions as you would at home,” she said.

“Destinations rely heavily on tourism and one travel advisory can disrupt all within the destination,” said O’Neale. “Sometimes I think they are hastily issued even when it does not directly affect the tourist areas.”

For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.