For The Safety Of Their Customers Should British Travel Firms Offer A Full Refund On Holidays Book For Jamaica?

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5291163/Britons-Jamaica-destination-told-stay-resorts-amid-army-crime-crackdown.html

[anotheoldgit]

'BOOKED'

[emmie]

no.

[Islay]

No! Because most people who go there go to the holiday complex available

[-SharonA-]

The choice should be there. Having visited Jamaica many years ago, I must say the locals are friendly. But it is poverty that is pushing up crime.

[emmie]

you pay your money and takes your chance, if there is a major crack down, then its not before time. Jamaica has had problems for a long time not just 2017.

[Zacs-Master]

No. The advice when traveling to Jamaica has long been one of caution outside hotel complexes / organised tours.

[rowanwitch]

https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/jamaica

[douglas9401]

I can't understand why folk would travel half way round the planet to a third world country riven by violence and crime just to get a tan.

Has no-one told the of the Canaries where the sun shines and pretty much the worst you'll encounter are the lookie-lookie guys selling tat about the place.

[Prudie]

No anyone who's done their research should have known that there some 'paradise' islands in the Caribbean where you are never advised to leave your complex. Jamaica is one of them and this kind of violence is not new.

[emmie]

my brother and his wife did a tour of the island, with a Jamaican guide and apparently they had a wonderful day.

[anotheoldgit]

/// I must say the locals are friendly. ///

Really? 335 murders in 2017 alone.

[hc4361]

Plenty of muggings in the Canaries, Prudie and I was in Tenerife when that woman got beheaded 7 or so years ago. I've had people try to pickpocket me there. You can't be complacent anywhere, not even in your local high street.

No, they shouldn't, AOG.

[anotheoldgit]

emmie

/// my brother and his wife did a tour of the island, with a Jamaican guide and apparently they had a wonderful day. ///

Taking into consideration the cost of holidaying there, I would expect more than one wonderful day.

Being confined to one's holiday complex must be most boring.
Perhaps okay for those who just want to lay by the pool and drink from the bar.

[Prudie]

I didn't mention the Canaries but am well aware you have to be on guard everywhere. Have spent last 5 Christmas holidays in Antigua which is considered one of the far safer islands but they have had 22 gun related murders in 2017, we in fact were mugged on the beach there in the middle of the day a year ago - for a beach bag that had nothing of value in whatsoever. Most of the locals are amazingly poor.

[237SJ]

Jamaica's always been at another level of violence compared to the rest of the Caribbean. Most tourists stayed in their resorts apart from the odd organised day trip. We were told to not even go out of the hotel in Kingston (used to hire boozy boats for the day just to get away from the place) but Montego Bay wasn't quite as bad. It's obviously gone downhill a lot. I guess if the situation becomes really bad some agents might let people rebook for somewhere else but I can't see them giving refunds.

[hc4361]

AOG, these resorts have private beaches so you can swim, snorkel, jet ski, paraglide - lots of water sports and boat trips.
Also escorted tours of the island which are safe, entertainment, spa treatments and other activities to join in with you are so inclined.

[emmie]

AOG, they were on a Caribbean cruise, stopping off on various ports not just Jamaica.

[woofgang]

We paid off a merchant ship there around 37 years ago and were driven from the ship to the hotel and 24 hours later from the hotel to the airport. As we boarded the minibus at the dockside we were told to remove and hide any jewellery, watches and so on, NOT to use or display cameras, not to stare out of the windows and to keep the bus windows shut. We were warned that the bus would not stop anywhere until we reached our destination. The local people who we met were very friendly and apologetic. I guess the hurricane damage has made the situation worse.

[ummmm]

My granddad used to go every year when I was little and he was told back then how dangerous it was. He used to go with his Jamaican friends though so was relatively safe but wasn't allowed to venture out on his own.

That was about 40 years ago.

[douglas9401]

It's surprising too, what with the beautiful blue waters and palm trees, usually a guarantee of idyllic safety.


The place is run by gangsters, gunz n drugz, get real.