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While the U.S. State Department regularly updates its travel advisories for different countries and issues alerts regarding changing situations on the ground, a full level change is much rarer, as it usually accompanies a major change in diplomatic relations or the security situation.

The four-tier system ranges from the lowest “exercise normal precautions” for countries that are as safe as, or safer than, the U.S. to the highest level four “do not travel” advisory reserved for war zones, authoritarian governments, and nations with no diplomatic relations with the U.S.

At the start of 2026, the island nation of Grenada — long considered to be one of the safest in the Caribbean — was moved from level one to level two over what the government claims is an increase in “armed robbery, assault, burglary, and rape.”

Jamaica lowered to level three travel advisory amid Hurricane Melissa recovery

But while changes in levels usually go in the other direction in marking a country as more dangerous, the State Department has now brought down Jamaica from level three’s “reconsider travel” to level two’s “exercised increased caution.”

Jamaica’s tourism has slowly recovered from the devastation of Hurricane Melissa in October 2025. According to numbers provided by Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett and cited by the Miami Herald, more than 445,000 tourists pumped $475 million into the country’s economy over the last three months.

“The hurricane caused widespread damage to the western part of the island,” the Jan. 17 update that encourages travelers to “confirm availability of services and amenities at your destination before you travel to Jamaica” reads. “Some areas are still experiencing post-storm impacts on infrastructure and services. All major airports have reopened for commercial flights.”

That said, the change in advisory level is a major move in encouraging U.S. travel to the country, as previous advisories have focused on crime and a “homicide rate […that is] among the highest in the Western Hemisphere.”

Montego Bay, Jamaica, was one of the cities hit hardest by Hurricane Melissa.

Image source&colon; Shutterstock

“Black River and Montego Bay are in varying stages of recovery”: State Department

Some areas with a higher crime rate outside of popular tourist destinations remain under level three and level four advisories, while countries that now share the same overall advisory level with Jamaica include France, Italy, and China, as well as fellow Caribbean destinations like The Bahamas and the Dominican Republic.

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The advisory offered standard tips such as remaining aware of one’s surroundings and avoiding public areas late at night, and the latest tweaks focus above all on hurricane recovery and availability of services in different parts of the country.

The government has not elaborated on why the travel advisory was lowered now, but given that many U.S. travelers rely on advisories to choose their next vacation, it will significantly help boost tourism to the country.

“Some areas in the western part of Jamaica, such as Black River and Montego Bay, are in varying stages of recovery from the hurricane. Exercise increased caution if traveling to affected areas at this time,” the advisory reads further.