Is the Bahamas Safe to Visit Now? What You Need to Know About the State Department's New Travel Warning

Get the Full StoryMade up of more than 700 islands -- some inhabited, some isolated -- the Bahamas lures more than six million travelers every year with its beautiful beaches, lush forests, historic towns, and of course, warm weather. However, the Caribbean country has been receiving some not-so-sunny attention as of late.The U.S. Department of State recently issued a Level 2 travel warning for the Bahamas, encouraging travelers to exercise increased caution when visiting the region. Violent crime, such as burglaries, armed robberies, and sexual assault, is common, even during the day, the advisory notes. Although the family islands are not crime-free, the vast majority of crime occurs on New Providence and Grand Bahama islands. In addition, the State Department communicates that tourists should be cautious if they plan on partaking in activities involving recreational watercrafts, as many companies lack proper safety certifications. The warning also states that jet-ski operators have been known to commit sexual assaults against tourists. Other dangers include credit card fraud, real estate and timeshare scams, and encounters with local drug or human smugglers who threaten travelers in an attempt to coerce them into smuggling on their behalf. If you think all of this sounds familiar, you d be right. The U.S. and Canadian governments announced three travel warnings for the Bahamas over the last year, TravelPulse reports. Royal Caribbean also issued a warning last year around the increase of crime in Nassau, though it retracted the statement a few days later. Already have a trip booked? We encourage U.S. citizens traveling overseas to enroll their travel plans in the Smarter Traveler Enrollment Program STEP , so they can receive important messages about their destination s , including timely alerts and updates, says the State Department. The U.S. is not necessarily telling Bahamian-bound travelers to cancel their vacations. Instead, they re simply encouraging folks to increase their vigilance. In fact, this new warning puts the popular destination in the same safety category as Belize, France, Spain, and Germany.

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