KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Times of India, a daily newspaper in India, has rated Jamaica as one of the safest travel destinations globally.

The ranking was based on the latest US State Department and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance and data from the 2021 Global Peace Index (GPI), which ranked more than 160 countries worldwide in many categories.

Tourism Minister, Edmund Bartlett, was delighted with this commendation, noting that the island has worked very hard to ensure that the destination remains safe for both hospitality workers and visitors.

“We have been bullish in our efforts to ensure that health and safety remain top-of-mind as we recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. We developed and enforced health and safety protocols that have undoubtedly helped in our efforts to contain the spread of the virus while ensuring that our visitors have a memorable experience,” Bartlett said.

“I must commend the teams at the Ministries of Tourism and Health, the respective public bodies, as well as our stakeholders, for their efforts in this regard. They are the driving force that has helped Jamaica be recognised as one of the fastest recovering countries in the world and one of the fastest-growing tourism destinations in the Caribbean,” he added.

The publication noted that the island has a Level 2 travel advisory from the CDC and the State Department. This means that visitors are to exercise increased caution due to COVID-19, while the CDC indicated that the island’s borders might witness a moderate rise in coronavirus cases.

The United Arab Emirates, British Virgin Islands, The Bahamas, Fiji, New Zealand, and Grenada are also on the list.

Bartlett attributes Jamaica’s ranking on the list to the highly effective Tourism Resilient Corridors, which have a 0.1 per cent infection rate. The corridors span most of the island’s tourism districts which allows visitors to experience more of the country’s distinctive offers since the health authorities have authorised visits to several COVID-19-compliant attractions located along the corridors.

“We have also had an effective vaccination campaign for our tourism workers, with the help of both private and public sector interests. This has resulted in a very high vaccination rate among tourism workers of about 70 per cent. Therefore, our visitors can rest assured that Jamaica is indeed a very safe destination,” the minister added.