Go with a plan.
Jamaica dropped to a 55/100 sketch score today, down 13 points from yesterday. US and Canadian advisories sit at level 2, while a global measles notice remains active.
Governments, one trip
What they're telling their own citizens about Jamaica
The real score
The breakdown
See it from your perspective
Go with a plan.
The general Sketch Score, unweighted for any specific traveler.
Don't do this
Laws that jail tourists
Camouflage clothing ban
It is illegal to wear clothing with a camouflage design or items that resemble a military uniform in Jamaica.
Staying healthy
What to watch out for, health-wise
Active notices
- • Global Measles
Vaccines
Recommended:
From people who've been there
Local know-how
Staying safe
- •Beware of rapists at resorts, as advised by travel advisories.
- •If in need of police, dial 119, just don't expect them to show up on the spot.
- •Drugs and alcohol are prevalent.
- •September, October, and November have fewer tourists as this is hurricane season.
- •Wearing clothing with a camouflage design or otherwise looking like a military uniform is illegal in Jamaica.
- •Crime: Jamaica has one of the highest rates of violent crime in the world. Reports of gang violence, sexual assault, robberies, homicide, and the like are not uncommon, especially in Kingston.
Staying healthy
- •Medical facilities on the island are not always up to par with European or American health care standards.
- •The tap water is generally good and safe to drink.
- •Be cautious of the water quality at public swimming beaches, such as "Walter Fletcher Beach" in Montego Bay, which some locals call "dump-up beach", situated near the north gully.
- •The country's adult HIV/AIDS prevalence is at nearly 1.6%.
- •A 2006 malaria outbreak in Kingston was identified and controlled and Jamaica has now returned to the malaria-free status it had for decades before this localised and isolated incident.
- •As in much of the Caribbean, dengue fever is an increasing risk.
Adapted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA — edited by travelers, not us.
Real talk
What travelers actually say
Travelers express significant anxiety regarding Jamaica due to high-level travel advisories and reports of crime. Many visitors choose to stay exclusively within the confines of all-inclusive resorts to mitigate risks, often utilizing private airport transfers to avoid exposure. While some travelers express a desire to explore beyond resort boundaries, others report concerns about the safety of Montego Bay specifically. Perspectives on the danger vary, with some attributing fears to xenophobia, while others cite warnings from both tourists and locals about the potential for violence even when staying at resorts. There is no consensus on the safety of independent travel, leading many to prioritize resort security over off-site exploration.
“I have heard from White folks as well as American people of Jamaican descent with family there, that Jamaica can be very dangerous for tourists. Even when staying on resorts.
— r/travel
“Going to Jamaica in mid Jan and my family is freaking out with the level 3 and 4 travel advisory from the US, saying that we should cancel. We're staying at Excellence Oyster Bay and have a private transfer organized through the hotel from the airport, with no intentions of leaving the resort.
— r/travel
“I looked on the US State Dept. website and it looks like all the areas they suggest to avoid in Montego Bay would be at least 30 minutes walk from where we would be staying, which should be easy enough to avoid.
— r/travel
Pack this, know this
The little things that trip people up
Plug & voltage
A / B · 110V
Driving side
left
Emergency
police: 119 / ambulance: 110 / fire: 110
Zoom in
One Jamaica city on SKETCH.WORLD
Real, resident-submitted Numbeo crime data at the city level — the same national picture above, with crime swapped for what people who actually live there report.
Show the receipts (11 sources)
- us-state — observed 2026-07-12
- uk-fcdo — observed 2026-07-12
- ca-gac — observed 2026-07-12
- worldbank-political — observed 2026-07-12
- worldbank-policeTrust — observed 2026-07-12
- cdc-health — observed 2026-07-12
- wikivoyage — observed 2026-07-12
- reddit — observed 2026-07-12
- unodc — observed 2026-07-12
- acled-hdx — observed 2026-07-12
- lgbtq-legal-wikipedia — observed 2026-07-12