Tourism official welcomes downgrade of US travel advisory against Jamaica

 

The Ministry of Tourism says the latest travel advisory from the US State Department and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is ironic, given that the United States has the highest number of reported cases and deaths from COVID-19 worldwide.

 

At the same time, Delano Seiveright, Senior Strategist in the Tourism Ministry, says the downgraded travel advisory was expected and brings relief for tourism officials.

 

The updated advisory comes five months after the US issued the Level 4 "do not travel" warning — its highest advisory — against all international travel as the coronavirus spread.

 

Speaking with Radio Jamaica News Friday, Mr. Seiveright said the US moving to advising its citizens to reconsider travel to Jamaica from a blanket warning against travel is good. 

 

"The fact is nine out of 10 countries are essentially listed as Level 3. I mean the United States themselves have a massive issue as it relates to the coronavirus. In these machinations, these unfortunate designations are applied. But there is no doubt in our mind that Jamaica will improve in its position on that list in short order, and beyond that, the fact is that most countries are listed as Level 3 and many tourists usually don't look into advisories at all," he said.  

 

Mr. Seiveright reiterated that it is expected Jamaica's status will improve on the US travel advisory list, citing that the country has received the approval of the World Travel and Tourism Counsel and the United Kingdom has approved Jamaica for their special list of countries from which British citizens do not have to self isolate when they return. He said Jamaica has also also listed among "other credible news magazines and so on, for our management of COVID-19.