Canadian travel advisory not a major issue, says Jamaican tourism official

 

The Jamaican government is shrugging at news of the latest latest travel advisory issued by Canada warning its citizens to exercise a high degree of caution in Jamaica due to an increase in violent crime.

 

The advisory was issued in the wake of the widespread states of emergency declared by Prime Minister Andrew Holness to curtail the surge in gang violence and murders. 

 

Delano Seiveright, Senior Strategist in the Ministry of Tourism Ministry, when contacted by Radio Jamaica News, observed that the advisory was "nothing new". 

 

He said the advisory was unlikely to negatively affect the country's tourism industry, highlighting the fact that this has been happening for years, with particularly the United States and Canada putting out such advisories, "and in Jamaica they highlight that there are parts of the country that deemed unsafe..."

 

On the other hand, he argued, it is widely understood that "our visitors and potential visitors understand that in every country there are some parts that are not particularly safe and there are some areas that are very safe."

 

Accordingly, he said, "for the most part," these travel advisories  have not had a negative impact "on our brand or our arrival numbers".