No Reason to Panic, but this should be addressed...

[jon c.]

The article seems like sensationalism to me. They give no idea if such crime in JA is at all out of line with any other tourist destination. I certainly don't excuse rape. In Jamaica or anywhere else. But it does happen and unfortunately it happens to tourists. This article doesn't actually provide any factual evidence to back up their claim of this being especially of concern in JA. They provide sensational details about a few incidents over a few years and imply that the problem is much more widespread without any indication that this is actually true. It's basically click bait and having now seen mention of it all over the net, it's obviously working.

[LivinInThe603]

I can't ignore that sometimes people just have to own their choices... no one deserves to be assaulted, or worse, but if you are over-intoxicated or placing yourself in knowingly dangerous situation, bad things could happen. How many people go on vacation and feel that they can take whatever liberties they desire, throwing all caution to the wind. Obviously, this is not always the case, and like I said, no one deserves for bad things to happen... but let's be honest and recognize that some crimes are a direct result of poor decision making.

[Weeboy1]

Completely agree 603!
Troubles easy to find if you look for it....
And as easily avoided!
Make wise choices and use your smarts.

[Marblehead]

It's hard to read about how bad a trip can go. I've been paranoid about personal safety as long as I can remember starting with "Don't take candy from a stranger." Thanks, Mom! I try to stay on top of my game no matter where I am when I travel or even at home. That said, who doesn't have a few edgy encounters after 34 years of traveling to Jamaica.

[rellim]

I can't ignore that sometimes people just have to own their choices... no one deserves to be assaulted, or worse, but if you are over-intoxicated or placing yourself in knowingly dangerous situation, bad things could happen. How many people go on vacation and feel that they can take whatever liberties they desire, throwing all caution to the wind. Obviously, this is not always the case, and like I said, no one deserves for bad things to happen... but let's be honest and recognize that some crimes are a direct result of poor decision making.

I used to respect your opinion but if that what you got out of that article ...Wow

[Jahansen]

Jahansen,

I noticed your comment, "but I find it amazing that Jamaica is now considered less safe than Mexico where there have been some pretty nasty incidents", and cannot find anything in the article stating that nor after searching Mexican crime stats.

Could you please let us know where this info comes from?

Thanks.

I wish this weren't the case, but this is from the USA Today article:

Last year, Jamaica was ranked the third most dangerous country for female travelers by Trip by Skyscanner, a California-based travel research company that reviews destinations worldwide. Egypt and Morocco topped the list.

[Jahansen]

I don't think the main problem is that there were some assaults. This happens at a lot of places because there are some really bad people everywhere. What worries me is that the resorts and the Jamaican government seem to treat this as if it is equivalent of pick pocketing... no big deal mon. Or it's the victim's fault. This is much more serious than this. In order for Jamaica to be a prime tourist destination this has to be treated very seriously.

[Rob]

I wish this weren't the case, but this is from the USA Today article:

Last year, Jamaica was ranked the third most dangerous country for female travelers by Trip by Skyscanner, a California-based travel research company that reviews destinations worldwide. Egypt and Morocco topped the list.

Trip by Skyscanner? Let's check out the source.

From their website, they offer only this safety tip about Jamaica:

"Safety
Solo Female Travel Tips
In Jamaica, "don't make yourself a target in a relatively poor country." If possible, "avoid local beaches, stick to tourist areas." Some suggested bringin "a smaller purse, which can be kept close to you (i.e. A cross body)."

Trip by Skyscanner surveyed its Solo Female Traveller Tribe to compile woman-to-woman safety tips for this destination. While no one destination is ever completely safe or unsafe, our hope is that this information will allow users to make their own decisions with better information."

Trip by Skyscanner IS NOT a travel RESEARCH company that the article suggests, but a travel SEARCH company. From their site:

"About Skyscanner
Skyscanner is a leading global travel search site and app, a place where people are inspired to plan and book direct from millions of travel options at the best prices. We employ over 900 staff across ten offices globally, and having reached market leader status, we were acquired by Chinese online travel company Ctrip in in a deal valued at $1.7B in 2016. Trip by Skyscanner (formerly Gogobot) was acquired by Ctrip and integrated into Skyscanner in 2017."

In the Solo Female Tribe section of the Trip by Skyscanner site, they do have a safety link to a Daily Mail article which Jamaica is not mentioned.

https://www.trip.skyscanner.com/blog...ips-and-tribe/

I did find a Forbes article about solo woman safety regarding Mexico, where the author was congratulating Trip by Skyscanner for their latest Tribe, the Solo Woman Traveller. Here is what she wrote:

"But this latest warning is particularly noteworthy, as the incidents that prompted it impacted a number of women and underscored the importance of safety for female travelers, whether they’re on vacation or a business trip in Mexico or anywhere in the world.

As part of the launch of its newest and 20thtribe, Solo Female Travelers, Trip by Skyscanner recently released a list of the 10 most dangerous places for solo female travelers. Based on a survey of Trip by Skyscanner users, the list comprises the lowest rated countries. For some Trip by Skyscanner users, this doesn’t necessarily mean “no go,” but it definitely means “take caution.” And while Mexico didn’t make the top 10 list, it still raises concern with people like Julia Pond, Trip by Skyscanner’s editorial director, who shared her insight on how to stay safe, whether you’re in Mexico or any of the places on the list."

https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurabe...-to-stay-safe/

[noproblem]

Rob,
I also looked into this and Skyscanner was the only place this statistic could be found. Skyscanner is a social media based app / travel web site and makes no claims to be a true research source. They only stat they had was based on a State Department stat of one assault on American women a month with a 7 year average of 78 total assaults in the time frame. USA Today went to the only place they could find to prop up their claim for the article. A better and real source would have been the International Women's Travel Center but neither they nor any other valid source I found had the stat reported in the article. Further research showed USA Today giving plenty of advice for having a great time in while traveling to Jamaica ..

[Bruce]

As a loyal customer of the RIU resorts around the world, I am extremely disappointed in their lack of due diligence in the hiring of the animal who attacked and raped those women in Montegeo Bay. Or is it Jamaica's failure of their system for employment background checks that is to blame?