U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the State Department will re-evaluate its travel warnings for Jamaica and other countries to ensure they reflect real conditions on the ground. As part of a tour of the Caribbean last week, Rubio heard complaints from Jamaican officials about the warning for their country, which is heavily dependent on tourism.

The current travel U.S. warning for Jamaica advises Americans “to reconsider” visiting the country due to high crime rates.

(Ed note: The Canadian government advises exercising “a high degree of caution” due to a “high level of violent crime” in certain areas.)

On the Jamaica travel warning, Rubio did not promise it would be eased but did say revisions were possible in light of progress the Jamaican government has made in reducing crime.

“We pledged (that) we’re going to go back and reevaluate the travel advisories as they currently stand to ensure that they do reflect the reality of the new numbers and what the numbers show,” Rubio said, noting that Jamaica has “made very impressive progress in your general numbers overall when it comes to the murder rate and so forth.”

Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness said he appreciated Rubio’s pledge. “We are committed to working collaboratively to ensure that travel advisories reflect the current realities and promote travel to Jamaica,” he said. “I’m confident that the dialogue initiated today will lead to tangible outcomes.”

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