One of the United States most powerful Government officials, Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen, vacationed in Montego Bay, St James, days before the US State Department issued a travel advisory urging Americans to reconsider travel to the island, impeccable Jamaica Observer sources have confirmed.

In the May 10 updated travel advisory the State Department told Americans to: “Reconsider travel to Jamaica due to crime. US Government personnel are prohibited from travelling to many areas due to increased risk.

“Violent crimes, such as home invasions, armed robberies, sexual assaults, and homicides, are common. Sexual assaults occur frequently, including at all-inclusive resorts”.

The State Department also claimed that Jamaican police often do not respond effectively to serious criminal incidents.

Additionally, it stated that, “When arrests are made, cases are infrequently prosecuted to a conclusive sentence. Families of US citizens killed in accidents or homicides frequently wait a year or more for final death certificates to be issued by Jamaican authorities. Emergency services and hospital care vary throughout the island, and response times and quality of care may vary from US standards.”

The State Department also told American citizens that the homicide rate reported by the Jamaican Government has, for several years, been among the highest in the western hemisphere, and named Montego Bay among a list of no-go areas for American Government personnel, adding that US Government personnel are prohibited from using public buses and from driving outside of prescribed areas of Kingston at night.

But Observer sources on Thursday confirmed that Yellen, who is fifth in the US presidential line of succession, arrived in Montego Bay three weeks ago and spent more than one week vacationing with close family and friends at one of the island’s top resorts.

According to the sources, Yellen was accompanied by a full detail of US Secret Service personnel who provided protection for her party.

Efforts to get a confirmation from local tourism officials have so far been unsuccessful with “no comment” being the response to every question, while the hotel, which the Observer will not name, refused to provide any information on the visit.

Senior advisor and strategist in the Ministry of Tourism Delano Seiveright on Thursday told the Observer that he “could neither confirm nor deny the visit”, but he pointed out that it is now frequent for high-level officials to vacation on the island, including Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his family who stayed outside Ocho Rios, St Ann, over the last Christmas and new year holidays.

In fact, Trudeau was in Jamaica at the time his country issued a travel advisory warning its citizens against visiting the island.

“We have had a number of very high-ranking and renowned officials and celebrities flocking to Jamaica in recent months for vacation. Destination Jamaica is in high demand and folks love the safe, diverse and seamless experiences here,” said Seiveright.

Among those celebrities were Hollywood screen actors Michael Douglas and his wife Catherine Zeta-Jones, veteran American actor John Amos, American actress Tracee Ellis Ross, Nigerian singer Burna Boy, American music stars Cardi B and Offset, Chance the Rapper who was here enjoying the just-concluded Jamaica Carnival, Dua Lipa, and singer-songwriter Omarion.

Yellen was sworn in as the 78th secretary of the treasury of the United States in January 2021, having previously served as the 15th chair of the US Federal Reserve from 2014 to 2018.

She is the first person to hold those positions having also led the White House Council of Economic Advisers and the first woman to hold either post.

An economist by training, she took office after almost 50 years in academia and public service.

Yellen is now at the forefront of efforts to have the US increase its debt ceiling before a June 1 deadline and has warned that the US could default on its debt if lawmakers do not respond quickly

Speaking on Tuesday at the Independent Community Bankers of America Capital Summit, Yellen said a US default could “break” markets and leave millions of Americans jobless in what could lead to an economic slump as bad as the ‘Great Recession’.

American media quoted Yellen as saying that, “A default would crack open the foundations upon which our financial system is built.

“It is very conceivable that we’d see a number of financial markets break — with worldwide panic triggering margin calls, runs and fire sales.”

In the meantime, Jamaica’s tourism officials, in response to the updated US travel advisory, noted that the island is ranked among the top destinations for international travel this year and is experiencing a rise in summer 2023 air travel bookings by 33 per cent, compared to summer 2022 according to data by ForwardKeys.

“Visitors can continue to come to the island with confidence to enjoy all that the destination has to offer. Jamaica remains committed to providing a safe and secure environment for visitors and local citizens alike,” said one tourism official.

Another official noted that enhanced security measures have been announced and are now in place for the parishes of Clarendon, Hanover, and St James.

“The Government’s swift and decisive action reinforces the island’s commitment to providing a safe and secure environment for visitors and local citizens alike. Visitors can continue to come with confidence to enjoy all that Jamaica has to offer,” added the official.