On February 25, the United States issued travel advisories for the Bahamas and Turks & Caicos, mainly following upticks in crime.
I know many American travel experts don’t pay attention to these advisories because they think they’re overly political, and the truth is that you should use caution and stay alert anywhere you travel (even inside the U.S.). That said, a good way to give them context is to consult, as I do, the Australian, British and Canadian (ABCs) travel warnings that those governments have issued to their own citizens. In the case of the Bahamas and Turks & Caicos, the ABCs all have strong warnings regarding the Bahamas but not Turks & Caicos.
See below for the specific alerts from the State Department plus info from the ABCs:
The Bahamas
From the U.S. State Department: “Exercise increased caution in The Bahamas due to crime. Violent crime, such as burglaries, armed robberies, and sexual assault, is common, even during the day and in tourist areas. Although the family islands are not crime-free, the vast majority of crime occurs on New Providence and Grand Bahama islands. U.S. government personnel are not permitted to visit the Sand Trap area in Nassau due to crime.”
- Here’s the U.K. government on the Bahamas
- Here’s the Canadian government on the Bahamas
- Here’s the Australian government on the Bahamas
Turks & Caicos
From the U.S. State Department: “Exercise increased caution in the Turks and Caicos Islands due to crime. The vast majority of crime occurs in Providenciales. Local medical care and criminal investigative capabilities are limited.”
- Here’s the U.K. government on Turks & Caicos
- Here’s the Canadian government on Turks & Caicos
- Here’s the Australian government on Turks & Caicos
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I do pay particular attention in the State Department advisories to where it says that US Government employees may not travel. There is an example of this in the Bahamas information.
I spent several years working in Saudi Arabia and the US Consult General (basically #2 at the embassy) stated at several town halls the information provided to the embassy employees and their families on travel restrictions were identical to the the public statements. Sometimes the restrictions seemed obvious — do not go within 50 miles of the border with Yemen (missiles!) — and sometimes not so obvious — avoid a particular province. It became obvious when a few months later there were religious bombings. So the information is useful and sometimes there is a message that isn’t communicated.
another 2 paradise spots have gone downhill!
Great Post. Thanks for sharing