Since Jamaican Prime Minister, Bruce Golding, declared a state of emergency on May 23 there have been approximately 300 hotel room cancellations, reports BusinessWeek.com. As a result, hotels are adding levels of security in order to make existing guests feel safe.
The state of emergency was in response to gang-related violence due to the government trying to bring forth drug lord, Christopher "Dudus" Coke.
Tourism is vital to Jamaica's economy, making up for 10 percent of the country's GDP and 50 percent of foreign exchange earnings, the Jamaica Tourist Board told BusinessWeek.
The following schedule changes have been made to Air Jamaica's Kingston flights for May 26, due to the civil unrest.
JM 015 will depart Kingston at 9:30 a.m., arriving at New York's JFK at 2:15 p.m.
JM 014 will depart JFK at 3:15 p.m., arriving Kingston at 6:05 p.m.
JM 031 will depart Kingston at 7:30 a.m., arriving Fort Lauderdale at 10:10 a.m.
JM 030 will depart Fort Lauderdale at 11:10 a.m., arriving Kingston at 11:50 a.m.
JM 037 from Kingston to Fort Lauderdale has been cancelled.
JM 036 from Fort Lauderdale to Kingston has been cancelled.
Look for more updates at www.AirJamaica.com.
It should be noted that, according to BusinessWeek, "The violence has been concentrated in the capital, with no reports of unrest near the golf courses, beachs and resorts that most tourists visit on Jamaica's coast."
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