While beloved by Americans looking to catch some rays and let loose at an all-you-can-eat resort, many popular sun destinations regularly catch the attention of the U.S. State Department over certain safety issues.
Back in May 2023, the State Department raised the level for Jamaica and Colombia from "exercise increased caution" to "reconsider travel." Earlier this spring, the government also issued a travel alert about certain parts of Mexico after four Americans were kidnapped in the Tamaulipas region bordering southern Texas.
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The latest country to receive a State Department warning is the island nation of Dominican Republic. On June 6, the government agency issued a warning urging travelers to "exercise increased caution in the Dominican Republic due to crime" but did not raise the advisory from Level 2.
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Here's Why the State Department Is Warning Travelers About the Dominican Republic
Used to inform travelers of the risks related to going to a given country, the State Department has four levels of warning — the first urges travelers taking "normal precautions" and is used for countries with low levels of crime while the fourth is a "do not travel" warning used for active war zones and totalitarian governments. Level 2 encourages "increased caution."
The Dominican Republic, the State Department says, is generally safe to those sticking to popular resort areas like Punta Cana and La Romana but remains a risk due to instances of "violent crime, including armed robbery, homicide and sexual assault" in the country overall.
"The development of a professional tourist police corps, institution of a 911 system in many parts of the country, and a concentration of resources in resort areas means these tend to be better policed than urban areas like Santo Domingo," reads the travel alert. "The wide availability of weapons, the use and trade of illicit drugs, and a weak criminal justice system contribute to the high level of criminality on the broader scale."
As governments always take a conservative approach when it comes to discouraging travel, alarmist-sounding warnings can often wreak havoc on a smaller country's image and efforts to shake off certain stereotypes about crime.
When Mexican search efforts turned up some bodies of missing people within proximity of Cancun, local urged the public "not to publish and share on social networks false news" about the bodies being right next to popular resorts.
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The vast majority of the 8.5 million tourists visited the Dominican Republican in 2022 did so without incident, while Delta Airlines (DAL) recently put Punta Cana on its list of its most popular flights for the coming summer.
"For those flying Delta into Punta Cana International Airport (PUJ), a lazy beach vacation can be the pick, or a trip that includes golf, diving, snorkeling, or windsurfing – the Punta Cana vibe is chosen by the adventurer," the airline says in promotional materials for flights to the country.
To minimize risk but still have a great time, the State Department encourages travelers to register on its Smart Traveler Enrollment Program for alerts about a given area and share one's travel itinerary with somebody back home who can reach out if something goes wrong.
Once in the country, standard advice is to be aware of one's surroundings as well as "not display signs of wealth" and "follow the advice of resort and tour operators."
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