The best-selling English-language daily newspaper in the world, The Times of India, has designated Jamaica as one of the safest places in the world to visit in 2022. The daily newspaper based its decision on guidance provided by the United States State Department and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and on information from the Global Peace Index (GPI) of 2021, which ranked over 160 nations around the world in numerous categories.

Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism, Edmund Bartlett, expressed his delight with The Times’ designation and noted that Jamaica has worked hard to ensure that it remains a safe destination for both the workers in its hospitality sector and its visitors. According to Bartlett, Jamaica has focused on keeping health and safety concerns as top priorities throughout the COVID-19 recovery period, developing and enforcing protocols that helped to contain the virus while making sure that visitors to the island have memorable experiences. He went on to praise the teams at the Tourism and Health Ministries, public entities, and stakeholders, for their efforts toward this goal. They have been a driving force in giving Jamaica recognition as one of the nations recovering most rapidly from the impacts of the COVID pandemic.

Bartlett cited Jamaica’s extremely effective Tourism Resilient Corridors policy, which has resulted in a 0.1 percent infection rate. The Corridors pass through most of Jamaica’s popular tourism districts, allowing visitors to explore more of the island’s unique experiences as health experts authorized visits to a number of COVID-19 compliant tourist attractions along these Corridors. Bartlett said that the island has also implemented an effective vaccination program for tourism workers through cooperation with private and public sector stakeholders. The program has realized a remarkably high rate of vaccinations totaling some 70 percent of tourism workers.

According to The Times of India, Jamaica has received a Level 2 Travel Advisory from the US State Department and the CDC, which means that visitors should be extra cautious in regard to COVID-19. The CDC said the island could see a “moderate risk” in COVID cases.

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