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Bahamas responds after U.S. government issued travel advisory to tourists

Posted at 12:59 PM, Mar 08, 2019
and last updated 2019-03-08 18:52:13-05

NASSAU, Bahamas — After the United States issued a travel advisory late last month for the Bahamas, the archipelago nation released a statement this week in an effort to calm travelers' fears.

The U.S. State Department issued the advisory on Feb. 25, urging travelers to exercise increased caution due to crime.

The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism and Aviation said in a written statement that the vast majority of their “6 million annual visitors do so without any incident whatsoever.”

According to 2018 Royal Bahamas Police data, there were only 43 incidents involving tourists, of which 30 involved American and none involved Canadians.

The country says nearly all of the incidents were classified as "minor offences."

"The safety of residents and visitors is of paramount importance and efforts to maintain and improve security are a constant priority for Bahamas authorities as is true for all governments,” said the statement.

Click here to read the full statement from the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism and Aviation.

Click here for the the Bahamas 2018 Crime & Safety Report.