Jamaica’s minister of tourism Edmund Bartlett insists the island hotspot is safe and it’s business as usual for the tourism industry despite the ongoing State of Public Emergency in St. James.
Bartlett expects the current situation of soldiers and police in the parish to ‘end quickly.’
The State of Public Emergency was passed to combat spiralling levels of violent crime in St James which includes Montego Bay.
"Jamaica has always enjoyed a very low crime rate against visitors. The proactive and pre-emptive security measure by The Most Honourable Andrew Holness to guarantee the continuation of this enviable statistic has been a welcomed initiative," said Bartlett.
The measures still have full backing from tourism stakeholders.
"All members of the tourism fraternity have given their full support to the measure and are feeling that these actions are welcome to ensure the safety of Jamaica’s guests and citizens."
However Bartlett said tourists need not only confine themselves to their resorts, contradicting current advice by some foreign governments.
"There is no need to modify movements as restrictions in the stated areas should not adversely impact law abiding persons.
Jamaica posted a record 4.3 million arrivals in 2017, nearly half of which were cruise passengers.
