Guidance Through the Violence

"In April of1999 I traveled to Jamaica to get married. We had 34 people in the wedding party. We stayed at Breezes Runaway Bay, a Superclubs all-inclusive resort. During our first few days, people were rioting in the streets to protest an increase in fuel price. Due to burning tires, which blocked every major road in the area, our hotel was forced to cancel all city tours. They also turned the local TV stations off so that tourists like us wouldn't leave. As a result, we were oblivious to the gravity of the situation. One of my girlfriends flew in while this was going on and got some amazing pictures of the protest, but she was alone and terrified."

This account, furnished by Travants Jamaica expert Lori Price, is every traveler’s nightmare. In many cases, incidents like this occur with little or no warning (at least from the perspective of the outside observer), and can easily catch travelers by surprise. It is often impossible, however, to cancel or reschedule travel plans at a moment’s notice. How can you keep your travel plans without putting your life in danger? At what point does the risk simply become too high? How do you know? According to the experts, it boils down to a little bit of planning and research, and a lot of common sense.

Political unrest, or even war, can break out almost anywhere at any time. Speaking with Travants travel agents who are experts in politically restless countries like Israel and Jamaica, and have been sending tourists there for years, I learned that, while there are certainly no guarantees, it is seldom necessary to cancel a vacation altogether.

The conflict in Israel between Israeli and Palestinian citizens has been in the news quite a bit in recent months, and has apparently scared off a lot of would-be visitors. According to Travants' Stephen Abelsohn, there have been "well over 600,000 cancellations [of trips] to the country." Last time he was there, he "noticed empty hotel lobbies, and empty tourist buses." Similarly, Pearl Lang has also seen a significant drop in the number of tours booked to Israel. The drop-off, however, has been mostly among people "who have never been before- the first time tourists. Israelis in the US and Americans with connections to the country are still going." Unfortunately, first-time tourists are Lang's, and most other travel agents' largest customer base. Things are getting, so bad, according to Travants Israel expert Susan Leitner that "if things don't improve soon, the industry will be irreparably damaged, as people find other ways to earn a living."

In fact, this drop-off in tourism may be due more to perception than to actual danger. While there are certainly areas that tourists are urged to stay out of, Lang "still believes it is one of the safest countries in the world to be in . . . Israel depends heavily on tourism and you can be sure they do what ever is necessary to protect the tourists." Laure Hristov of Just Cruises and Tours agrees that "the Israeli government does everything possible to make it safe in the tourist areas."

Lang points out that tourists can avoid the fighting altogether, "What the media reports and what the day to day life is like in Israel are so far apart. It's like a bomb going off in New York so people from abroad stay away from the whole US. In Israel events take place in isolated places far from tourist areas." Maybe Lang has a point here. If you have to go, all you need to do is find out which parts to avoid, and you can stay safe. As Leitner puts it, "If Hawaii's beaches were impacted, you could go to Tahiti's beaches. If you couldn't go to France on a cooking tour, you could try Italy. There isn't anything else like Israel. You can snorkel in places other than Eilat, but Jerusalem is Jerusalem. If you want to get there, you are going to have to go there."

Jamaica is a different story. For most people Jamaica falls closer to the category of Hawaii and Tahiti than that of Jerusalem. Jamaica expert Penny Sheldon has the following take on the situation: "About once a year there is an uprising in Jamaica's capital, Kingston. It's a very large city without a coastline, and has an airport that isn't used by tourists. I sent an email to a friend of mine who is an Assistant Manager at Sandals Royal Caribbean just a day after the news broke. Her reply was 'Ahhhhh no problem at all. [The uprising] didn't affect business here at all.'" Tracy Ohlinger concurs: "I feel that Jamaica is safe. I have traveled to Jamaica over 11 times and found no problems at all with safety. The Jamaican people are very welcoming towards travelers in the tourist areas."

Of course every situation is different. If you are concerned that your trip may be unsafe, talk to your travel agent, read the news, and follow U.S. Government advisories. In most cases, though, travel is possible even to countries going through periods of uprising and political instability. Hristov tells a fitting story: "Last September, I escorted a group on the Olympic Voyager [cruise ship] and we stopped in Israel for the day and made an excursion to Jerusalem and Bethlehem and it was the most peaceful, beautiful day. I did not have any sense of fear or alarm, even though the next day is when chaos broke out at the Temple Mount. I'm so happy that even though we knew there were reports of trouble brewing, I made possible that once in a lifetime trip!" Using an expert that can tell you where not to go, can help make your trip the kind of journey you'll never forget, rather than one you wish you could.

David Spack
Travants Staff Editor

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