Following the U.S. State Department travel advisory to its citizens to “reconsider” visiting the island, Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness has hit back at the suggestion of the American governmental agency.
Holness posted an entire article, along with a lengthy caption via social media, responding to the latest level 3 travel advisory issued on his country.
According to the PM, “Jamaica strongly disagrees with this categorization and believes it’s crucial to highlight our achievements in fostering economic prosperity and enhancing security for our beloved country.”
see the full caption below:
PM Holness also revealed that he had a virtual chat with Sandals Resorts International Chairman, Adam Stewart, to discuss their response to the update by the American government agency.
As per the article shared on Instagram by Holness, he seemed shocked about the announcement timing as well as the content.
The advisory that was published last week outlined Jamaica’s high level of criminality, and frequent sexual assaults on the Island, which included all-inclusive resorts and poor medical services on offer as some of the reasons for the level 3 status.
Holness continued his response via the Travel Weekly article by stating, “The challenge we face is that everything that is said in the travel advisory runs counter to Jamaica’s story of recovery, to Jamaica’s story of coming to grips with the challenges of being a developing country.”
The PM also pointed out that crime is at a 22-year low and that tourists are not significantly affected by severe crimes, and the current percentage of the 3 million annual visitors on the Island affected by serious crimes sits at 0.01% for the past five years.
In conclusion, Holness addressed the medical shortcomings of the country’s hospitals, illustrated by the State Department report, “For the first time in almost 40 years, we are building new hospitals, expanding hospitals and investing in hospitals.”
