How Canada Issues New Travel Advisories To Alert Travellers To Rising Risks In Jamaica, Cuba, And Belize

Published on September 22, 2025

As summertime winds down, galore travelers are still looking for opportunities to flight to warmer destinations. The Caribbean remains 1 of nan apical choices for those seeking sunny beaches and tropical experiences. However, caller updates from Canada’s Travel Advice and Advisories have highlighted important information concerns for immoderate Caribbean locations, including Jamaica, Cuba, and Belize. With concerns ranging from convulsive crime to fraud and information risks, travelers request to beryllium well-informed earlier embarking connected their vacation.

The Canadian government’s website offers valuable information, helping travelers make informed decisions and enactment safe erstwhile walking abroad. For those considering a travel to nan Caribbean, it’s basal to beryllium alert of nan existent information situations, peculiarly successful celebrated tourer destinations.

Jamaica: A Rising Concern of Violent Crime

Jamaica, known for its vibrant culture, music, and stunning beaches, is experiencing an summation successful convulsive crime, peculiarly successful ample cities and celebrated tourer areas. Kingston and Montego Bay have been highlighted arsenic regions pinch precocious levels of violent crime, including equipped robbery and murder. Despite nan beingness of rule enforcement to antagonistic criminal activity, entree to firearms has made it easier for criminal gangs to run successful these areas.

The superior interest for travelers is nan anticipation of being caught successful nan crossfire of gang-related violence. Jamaica’scrime rates person been connected nan rise, making it progressively important for visitors to workout caution, particularly successful definite neighborhoods aliases areas that are not often patrolled by police. While tourism areas are mostly safer, it is still recommended that visitors stay vigilant, debar definite areas aft dark, and heed section proposal erstwhile walking done aliases astir awesome cities.

Cuba: A Complex Web of Petty and Violent Crime

Cuba has agelong been a favourite Caribbean destination, offering a unsocial blend of culture, history, and beautiful landscapes. However, caller updates from the Canadian recreation advisory website item respective risks that travelers should see earlier visiting Cuba. These risks include petty crime, violent crime, sexual assault, and fraud.

One of nan superior concerns is petty theft, which is prevalent successful areas wherever visitors gather, specified as markets, public buses, nightclubs, and beaches. The cash-based economy in Cuba contributes to nan precocious level of petty theft, arsenic criminals often target travelers pinch rate connected hand. The Canadian advisory recommends that travelers support their belongings unafraid and workout discretion erstwhile carrying money.

Additionally, while robberies in Cuba rarely escalate to violence, nan consequence remains, and travelers are advised to stay calm and debar confrontation if threatened. More superior criminal activity, specified as fraud, is besides a concern, pinch reports of overcharging visitors for services like taxis and luggage services. Bars and resorts are communal locations for scams, which could impact nan enjoyment of a vacation. Moreover, sexual assault against Canadian women in formation resorts has been reported, and location person been incidents of spiked nutrient and drinks in immoderate establishments.

Non-criminal risks see infrastructure issues specified as power outages, food scarcity, and poor telecommunications. While these issues whitethorn not airs contiguous beingness danger, they tin surely disrupt recreation plans and trim nan wide acquisition for visitors.

Belize: Gang Violence and Other Risks

Belize, pinch its famous Mayan ruins and Caribbean coastline, has go an progressively celebrated destination for travelers. However, for illustration galore destinations successful nan Caribbean, it faces its ain group of information challenges. Gang-related violence has risen successful nan region, peculiarly in Southside Belize City, which lies southbound of the Haulover Creek River. This area has seen a important uptick in extreme pack violence and murders, making it a vulnerable area for tourists.

Although visitors are not typically nan nonstop target of pack violence, nan consequence of being caught successful nan crossfire remains high. Belize City and different regions adjacent to the Guatemala border, wherever galore visitors sojourn to spot nan famous Mayan ruins at Caracol, are besides experiencing a emergence in petty crime, including robberies. Alongside these concerns, incidents of fraud, sexual assault, and spiked nutrient and beverages have been reported, affecting nan information and well-being of visitors.

For travelers who place as 2SLGBTQI+, it’s important to statement that Belize has blimpish societal views regarding homosexuality. While homosexuality is not illegal, it is not wide accepted socially, and LGBTQI+ travelers are advised to workout caution, particularly successful much agrarian aliases blimpish areas.

How to Stay Safe successful These Popular Caribbean Destinations

For those readying to recreation to Jamaica, Cuba, or Belize, taking preventive measures is basal to guarantee information during nan trip. Here are immoderate important recommendations for staying safe successful these areas:

1. Be Cautious of Your Surroundings

In areas pinch a higher prevalence of violent crime, specified as Kingston and Montego Bay in Jamaica, it’s important to enactment alert of your surroundings, particularly aft dark. Avoid walking unsocial successful unfamiliar areas and travel section proposal regarding places to visit.

2. Secure Your Belongings

In destinations like Cuba, where petty theft is common, it’s captious to unafraid each individual belongings and debar displaying ample sums of cash. Money belts, unafraid bags, and lockable luggage tin thief trim nan consequence of theft.

3. Remain Calm successful Case of Confrontation

If you find yourself successful a business wherever a robbery aliases different criminal activity is occurring, it is basal not to resist. Cubahas advised travelers to stay calm if confronted by a thief aliases criminal. Resistance tin often escalate nan situation, perchance putting your information astatine risk.

4. Avoid Risky Areas and Seek Help if Needed

In Belize, debar walking to Southside Belize City and different known high-risk areas, particularly aft dark. If walking to distant areas, specified arsenic the Mayan ruins, guarantee that you are pinch a reputable guideline and successful a group.

5. Check Local Travel Advisories

Before traveling, it’s ever advisable to cheque nan latest updates connected authorities recreation advisories and section regulations. The Canadian government’s Travel Advice and Advisories website provides important accusation connected crime trends and different risks successful destinations astir nan world.

6. Stay Informed and Connected

In regions pinch infrastructure challenges, specified as Cuba, guarantee that you person a reliable method of communication, moreover if telecommunications are unreliable. Stay successful touch pinch your accommodations and section authorities if needed.

Conclusion: Preparing for Safer Travels

While the Caribbean remains a celebrated recreation destination, it is important for travelers to stay cautious erstwhile visiting definite areas. Jamaica, Cuba, and Belize have seen rising information concerns owed to violent crime, petty theft, and different risks that could impact tourists. By staying informed, pursuing information tips, and exercising caution, travelers tin bask a safer and much rewarding acquisition successful these regions. Checking up-to-date recreation advisories and making informed decisions will guarantee that nan travel remains arsenic enjoyable and unafraid arsenic possible.