People planning to visit St. Lucia in the Caribbean might want to reconsider their travel plans.
The U.S. State Department has just raised its travel advisory for St. Lucia to Level 2, urging American travelers to exercise increased caution due to common petty crime and the risk of violent offenses, and provided safety tips and advice to purchase travel insurance.
The travel advisory scale goes from 1 to 4, where Level 1 stands for “exercise normal precautions” and Level 4 means “do not travel.”
While petty theft remains common, the agency warns that “Violent crime can occur anywhere in St. Lucia. U.S. citizens and other foreigners in St. Lucia have been victims of armed robbery, assault, burglary, and rape. In some cases, U.S. citizens have been killed.” Additionally, they also note that police response times may lag behind U.S. standards.
To stay safe, travelers should stay aware of their surroundings (in tourist destinations but also especially when navigating banks and ATMs), keep a low profile, and avoid visibly displaying wealth.
Visitors are also advised to exercise caution at night, only open doors to known individuals. “Do not physically resist any robbery attempt,” the U.S. State Department asserts, and they strongly recommend that St. Lucia travelers purchase travel insurance.
The latest travel advisories for every global destination can be found on the U.S. State Department’s website.
