NASASAU, Bahamas, January 30, 2024 — Prime Minister Philip Davis insisted today that The Bahamas remains a safe place for visitors and expressed regret over the way some international news outlets have portrayed the country, The Nassau Guardian reported on Monday, January 29, in an article written by Ayhisha Small.
His comments come after he was asked to comment on the US Embassy’s updated its travel advisory on The Bahamas, advising on the crime situation plaguing New Providence.
“First of all, travel alerts are subjective to the countries where they are issued,” he told reporters. “We issue travel alerts as well, warning our citizens about countries where we feel they could be at risk, and the advisories primarily are just to be careful about your surroundings.
“Now it’s unfortunate sometimes these messages, the way they are couched, send shockwaves amongst our citizens. You need not to worry because nothing has impacted our country. Each country has the duty to tell their citizens about matters that are of concern to them.”
A NBC news report on the “new travel alert” spoke of a “dramatic spike in crime”.
The report inaccurately claimed the US State Department has raised its travel advisory from Level 1 to Level 2.
Asked about that report, Davis said, “I would have wished that they didn’t put it the way they did. How can I stop them from doing it?”
In its travel advisory, the US Department of State said, “The majority of crime occurs on New Providence (Nassau) and Grand Bahama (Freeport) islands. In Nassau, practice increased vigilance in the ‘Over the Hill’ area (south of Shirley Street) where gang-on-gang violence has resulted in a high homicide rate primarily affecting the local population.
“Violent crime, such as burglaries, armed robberies, and sexual assaults, occur in both tourist and non-tourist areas. Be vigilant when staying at short-term vacation rental properties where private security companies do not have a presence.”
Despite the negative media, Prime Minster Davis said he doesn’t think the situation will have much impact on tourism.
“The Bahamas is a safe place to come,” he said. “Continue to come. They will be safe here while thy are here. The Bahamas it what it is.”
See article in The Nassau Guardian at https://www.thenassauguardian.com/news/pm-the-bahamas-is-a-safe-place-to-visit/article_0a093d12-bec1-11ee-a93c-87112013a11c.html
