Following the recent declaration of a state of public emergency in Jamaica?s parish of St James, the Ministry of Tourism has reiterated that the country remains safe and is still open for business.
In a release issued by Jamaica?s minister of tourism, the Hon. Edmund Bartlett, he reassured visitors that Jamaica is safe and that the recent measures taken were as an added precaution to give greater powers to the police force so as to ensure that the destination maintains its safety record towards tourists.
Bartlett said: ?Security, safety and seamlessness is the standard that defines ?destination Jamaica? and the country continues to be very much open for business - we continue to welcome tourists from all over the world to enjoy the warm Jamaican hospitality.?
St James is one of 14 parishes in Jamaica and the minister confirmed that the area which has been largely affected by the recent troubles is one that is rarely visited by tourists. It?s also been relayed that the enhanced security measures are not ?out of the ordinary? in international tourism markets and that local Jamaican residents have been in support of this action.
Jamaica?s overall crime rate in respect to crimes against visitors is .01%. Provisional data shows a record breaking 4.3 million tourists visited the destination in 2017, representing a 12.1% increase over arrivals in 2016.
