Crime and violence worries tourists heading to Caribbean

The high level of violent crime across much of the Caribbean appears to be worrying an increasing number of tourists headed to this region. Antigua seems to be especially badly hit by a growing lack of confidence in the island’s public security among many European tourists. These fears were only reinforced by the murder of a British visitor and by the same brutal attack that left her husband severely injured. If Britons and other Europeans do end up losing confidence in Antigua following this incident, is will spell much trouble for this country, which relies on tourism very heavily. In fact, up to 70 percent of the country’s revenue is generated by the tourism industry. But Britons will remember the headlines across the front pages of newspapers this summer, reporting on the most recent deadly attack on tourists.

According to media reports, Catherine and Ben Mullany had recently gotten married and chose to spend their honeymoon in Antigua. In fact, some UK newspapers wrote about how the couple had not even had a chance to view their wedding photos before leaving for their Caribbean trip. Local journalists, however, were quick to point out that tourists are not actually the target of violent crime, but that criminal activity affects residents to a far greater extent. Yet the UN has suggested that much of the Caribbean has a particularly high homicide rate, which is potentially as high as 30 murders per 100,000 people.

Thank you to the Jamaican Observer for the initial report.