Discussions between Ja, US State Dept ongoing to have Level 3 advisory rescinded

As the Jamaican Government intensifies its efforts to have the United States (US) Department of State either rescind or roll back the Level 3 advisory placed against the country, high-level meetings have been taking place in Washington to reach an agreement on the issue.

According to information reaching The Gleaner, Jamaica’s Ambassador to the United States Audrey Marks has led a delegation that is having discussions with the State Department.

The Gleaner understands that the discussions are being held with both the State Department’s Consular Bureau, which issued the advisory, and the Western Hemisphere Bureau, which overseas countries like Jamaica.

Marks confirmed the meetings, telling The Gleaner that the talks have been productive and informative.

“I am very pleased that the talks with both bureaus have been going well. They have been very productive and informative. They have asked for certain information, which the Government of Jamaica will be providing,” she said.

The ambassador said she could not go into details about the discussions but pointed out that progress was being made on the issue.

During the talks, Jamaica requested a review of the Level 3 advisory.

A US official told The Gleaner that on the political side of the State Department, Jamaica’s position is being viewed favourably.

The Level 3 travel advisory warning US visitors to reconsider travelling to Jamaica paints a picture of Jamaica as a country where violent crimes are rampant, sexual assault of tourists occur frequently, and the country’s healthcare infrastructure leaves much to be desired.

Since the Level 3 advisory was imposed, some hotels have said that they have seen some cancellations, mainly in group bookings.

But despite the advisory, Tourism Minister Ed Bartlett has reported that Jamaica has seen a one-million visitor increase to the island in the first two months of this year. He also pointed out that the industry still grew by some eight per cent when compared with the same period last year.

“We have seen some cancellations because of the advisory, but these are mainly groups and government-related travellers,” he said.

Bartlett acknowledged that had the travel advisory not been put in place, the tourism growth would have been higher than the eight per cent.

“There has been skittishness in the market but no major cancellations,” he said.

He said the advisory has raised questions for large groups considering travelling to the island, and it has also affected insurance.

However, he pointed out that the Government is monitoring the situation as most of the groups that have expressed a reluctance to travel to Jamaica are mainly government-related groups.

Meanwhile, The Gleaner understands that some American hotel owners in Jamaica have also written to the State Department, asking for a rescinding of the travel advisory. Jamaicans in the diaspora have also reached out to their elected US representatives, requesting that they contact the State Department about having the Level 3 advisory rescinded.

Thought to be coordinated attack

In some circles, the belief is that the Level-3 advisory was a coordinated attack on Jamaica. It was noted that the advisory came out in January and it was since then that some media houses in the United States started carrying the story and using identical phrasing in their reporting.

The Jamaican Government has maintained that there had been no spike in crime or deterioration in the country’s health services when the advisory was issued.

The Gleaner understands that during the high-level talks, it was pointed out that there appeared to be no reason for a Level 3 advisory against Jamaica.

It was further pointed out that the way the advisory was issued suggested an unusual treatment of Jamaica. This idea is reinforced by the fact that the country profile is not usually placed on the front page as was done in this instance with Jamaica.

“It is strange that the Level 3 advisory was placed on the home page,” said one government official. He also noted that US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was in Jamaica on vacation over the holiday season late last year.

“If the situation is as they are saying, why would the defence secretary choose to spend his holidays in Jamaica?” the official questioned.

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