Arnie Weissmann
Yesterday, I had a video call with Jamaica prime minister Andrew Holness and Sandals Resorts International chairman Adam Stewart to get their reaction to last week's U.S. State Department update of its Level 3 travel advisory for Jamaica.
The language of the reissued advisory, which did not elevate its threat level, nonetheless painted a dark picture of a country where violent crimes are "common" and sexual assaults occur "frequently, including at all-inclusive resorts."
Holness seemed genuinely perplexed by both its content and timing. Two weeks before the advisory was released, the Financial Times had written a glowing report about the island, calling it "arguably one of the most remarkable and radical but underappreciated turnaround stories in economic history."
Not only were economic metrics the envy of developing countries, but Holness said serious crime was down by 11% last year, murders down by 8%, rapes down 15%. The advisory runs "counter to the fact that the general trajectory of crimes, particularly serious crimes, are all heading down."
Andrew Holness
Across the board, he said, crime was at a 22-year low. "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."
While acknowledging that its overall murder rate is still considered high, he also asserted that foreigners had little to fear: For the past five years, serious crimes against the 3 million annual U.S. visitors who came to vacation in Jamaica had held steady at 0.01%, far lower than the serious-crime rates in many of the hometowns where visitors lived.
"Three million Americans traveling to Jamaica last year, and 52 crimes reported," Stewart said.
"This [advisory] came out of left field," Holness added. "It runs counter to the story of Jamaica in the last five years. It is not supported by the trend in statistics."
Holness hadn't done a line-by-line comparison to the previous advisory, but the names of villages and Kingston neighborhoods labeled "do not travel" were not unexpected.
The prime minister said the government has invested heavily to ensure visitors are safe.
"We have tripled our investment in national security over the last five years," he said. "Massive investments. We have increased the number of police and now have specialized police in our tourism areas. They are very well trained within the Jamaica Constabulary Force, and we have set up a special office and special unit to treat crimes that affect tourists. And that has been working very well. I think we're having an impact. We're seeing that impact in the reduction of major crimes -- murders, in particular -- and we expect that that downward trend will continue.
"Like any country, like any state, there are places where even the citizens of that country would be best advised to avoid," he continued. "The United States, I'm sure, has many communities that its own citizens would avoid. And of course, if you're a traveler, you would want to pay keen attention and stay in the areas that are for touristic purposes."
I looked at where the don't-go listees were located in Westmoreland, St. James and St. Ann parishes, where Negril, Montego Bay and Ocho Rios are, respectively. While there were neighborhoods considered dangerous near tourist areas in Montego Bay and Ocho Rios, the coasts were literally clear: I did not see any beach resorts in the "do not travel" zones.
I asked Stewart about the warning that sexual assaults occur "frequently" at all-inclusives. He was as perplexed by that statement as the prime minister was about other aspects of the report.
"In our company, there is zero tolerance for it," he said. And he feels he would know if it were an issue with other companies, with "international standards across the board" and "best practices shared" among the island's all-inclusives.
The challenge we face is that everything that is said in the travel advisory runs counter to Jamaica's story of recovery.– Jamaica prime minister Andrew Holness
He also took issue with some of the language in the advisory
regarding health. Healthcare has "substantially improved over the last
five years," he said, and, despite the State Department's warning advising
visitors that "most hospitals and doctors overseas do not accept U.S.
health insurance," he said that many of the hospitals and private
healthcare providers do work with international insurances. He lavishly praised
a new medical facility in Montego Bay.
"For the first time in almost 40 years, we are building new hospitals, expanding hospitals and investing in hospitals," Holness said. "In another year and a half, Jamaica's health capacity, in terms of beds, in terms of ability to treat children and adolescents, in terms of accident and emergency and critical care -- all of those capacities will be increased."
The prime minister acknowledged that Jamaica shares "developing country issues" with others in the region but "bear in mind that Jamaica's healthcare is very much linked to U.S. healthcare. We are a net supplier of nurses and health practitioners to the U.S. And many of our doctors are trained in the U.S. and came back here to practice. Our proximity to the U.S. means we have very strong partnerships and links with U.S. institutions. And we have a very robust evacuation system, should a visitor require that."
Travel advisors are Sandals' 'greatest advocates'
I asked Stewart whether the State Department advisory had had a material impact on his business. He said that, typically, cancellations or rebookings to a different location were in the 20% to 30% range but spiked to 45% after the warning came out. But, he added, that's already subsiding.
A lot of Sandals bookings were saved by travel advisors, he said.
Adam Stewart
"They're our greatest advocates. They know Jamaica, they specialize in Jamaica. It's the dot-com customers who just kind of get spooked and say, 'Well, let me just go somewhere else,'" Stewart said.
As the interview wound down, I asked the prime minister if he had anything else he wanted to add.
"If I were holding your hand as you're writing," Holness said, "I'd say that Jamaica cares for its visitors. We have shared values. We have shared experiences. The connection between Jamaica and the U.S. is not just a diplomatic relationship. It is a familial relationship. That needs to be established. We do have a strong tourism link, and our economy relies on it.
"Certainly, we're concerned about such a report to American travelers, but we are also confident in the ties that bind our two countries together. And we will continue to appeal to our American visitors, our American friends, our American family, to investigate on your own, to check it out on your own.
"The other message that should come out is that we're building Jamaica 2.0. You're literally seeing a country transform before your eyes. We're trying to make sure that we get it right so that we can transition to developed country status. Tourism will play a key role in this. We see tourism as a valuable part of our economy, and we will do everything possible to make sure the visitor experience is safe and secure."
Stewart, too, said he remains confident in the country's direction and potential. "There are just so many positive things happening. It has inspired my generation," he said. "I'm talking broader than just tourism. There are things happening everywhere. Jamaica has never been more amazing."
In closing, the prime minister noted that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry had recently visited to see the premiere of "One Love," the new Bob Marley biopic. "The essence of Jamaica is 'one love,'" he said. "So, let's get together and feel alright."
UPDATE: This report was updated to make clear that healthcare facilities in Jamaica do not take Medicare.