Jamaica’s cabinet and its lifeline tourism sector are celebrating a pledge from American Secretary of State Marco Rubio during his visit to the island last week to review the contents of periodic travel advisories because negative or inaccurate ones do indeed hurt tourism destinations like Jamaica.
For decades, Jamaica and other Caribbean Community nations have been worrying about seemingly inaccurate or harsh travel advisories and how devastating they could be on their economies, particularly their tourism sectors.
So when Rubio swung through the island for bilateral talks with Prime Minister Andrew Holness and his team, the PM pounced on the opportunity to raise the issue with a top American cabinet official who had not only appeared to be happy to be visiting the region but also seemed open-minded and sympathetic to Jamaica’s plight.
While in Jamaica, Rubio also met with leaders of Haiti, Trinidad, and Barbados on a range of issues, including threats to revoke visas of government officials linked to the hiring of Cuban medical personnel and plans by the Trump administration to impose million-dollar taxes on Chinese-built ships calling at the Caribbean and other ports. Governments have complained that such measures will increase inflation.
“We pledged that we’re going to go back and reevaluate the travel advisories as they currently stand to ensure that they do reflect the reality of the new numbers and what the numbers show,” Rubio announced, suggesting that the island has “made very impressive progress in your general numbers overall when it comes to the murder rate and so forth. “Governments have two primary responsibilities – the safety and prosperity of their people – and your prime minister and his government are very focused on those two priorities.”
For his part, Prime Minister Holness said Jamaica is today way safer than even a decade ago, and perceptions of it as a violent destination should change.
“Jamaica today is safer than at any time in the last two decades. In fact, crime against visitors represents less than 0.01% of the more than 3 million visitors to Jamaica annually. We are committed to working collaboratively to ensure that travel advisories reflect the current realities and promote safe travel,” he said. “For the first time in the history of the constabulary, we have met the establishment strength of 14,000 officers. More police officers, more vehicles, and greater intelligence capabilities mean a more rapid response to threats and citizens’ emergencies,” he said.
Speaking in parliament, the prime minister was proud to point out that there are fewer than 100 gangs today compared to about 350 nine years ago. Efforts to dismantle them will continue.
As expected, Rubio’s announcement has been met with an outpouring of gratitude and relief by the tourism and hospitality sector, as they suggest that negative advisories have had a devastating impact on the lifeline sector.

“Coming from America’s top diplomat, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, reinforces that all the hard work Jamaica has put into lowering crime rates is paying off. It’s wonderful to hear that our collective calls for a review of the US travel advisory are being acknowledged and acted upon,” Minister of Tourism Ed Bartlett stated.
And senior tourism executive John Byles described Rubio’s open-minded approach to Jamaica’s plea as a blessing.
“The travel advisory has been like an albatross around the neck of the tourism sector, affecting us in every possible way. It is uplifting to hear that our efforts to reduce crime are being recognized at such a high level, especially by Secretary Rubio,” he told the Jamaica Information Service.
Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) President Robin Russell also lauded the Secretary. “What is most encouraging is the tone of the discussions with Secretary Rubio and his team. It was one of mutual respect and recognition of the hard work Jamaica has been putting in to address our issues as a country. We hope the US travel advisory review will be favorable, and we can continue to do the work to make Jamaica the best country to vacation in the world,” Mr. Russell added.
With elections expected by September, PM Holness has been very keen to be constantly pointing out the gains made against violent crime, noting that murders declined by nearly 20 % last year compared to seven in 2023, while the 47 killings of February were the lowest in 25 years.