Top Five Reasons To Visit Jamaica in 2019 despite what you hear…
Jamaica has been clobbered recently with negative press resulting from a highly publicized sexual assault case at one of the island’s popular all-inclusive hotels, but much like it’s Central American tourism counterpart Mexico, people can’t seem to get enough of what some others are campaigning against. Unlike Mexico and despite Jamaica’s seemingly high crime rate, our research indicates that you might be much safer in Jamaica than other places marked as potentially unsafe for lone travelers in particular. We must point out that the safety index used to measure crime and safety in top tourism destinations across the globe can sometimes put an unfair stigma on a destination; so a country listed as unsafe could be a result of just one or two isolated incidents. Travelers are encouraged to learn as much about the country and the area they will visit before they make a final decision.
Tourists are not the only ones exempt from pondering their future in Jamaica. In recent weeks, the fate of many of the island’s returning residents have been under severe scrutiny after it was reported by a prominent local newspaper that eleven persons were killed after returning from overseas to live on the island in which they were born and raised. A number of these cases were said to be unsolved and others were connected to persons with ties to the deceased. Regardless of what resulted in these deaths, when these types of news are reported to the world, it paints a pretty bad picture of the country on a whole. It is clear that Jamaica not only has a public relations crisis on its hands, but a much more challenging issue with the state of crime in the country. Despite the ills that now face the once most coveted Caribbean island; Jamaica, a country so unique, it’s positioned in both the northern and western hemispheres and surrounded by the Caribbean Sea, is still among the most visited and loved islands in the world.
Jamaica has been a favorite destination for millions of travelers over the years and what we’ve learned is that no matter how many times you visit, the novelty ‘never wears off’. It is quite possible that you will discover something totally new and exciting each time you visit. Here are our top five reasons to make Jamaica a must-see destination for 2019.
The Vibes
Bob Marley made famous what he felt about the vibes of his people in the song, ‘One Love’. Jamaicans are known to be ‘Irie’, a word that describes the nonchalant easy going cool that most Jamaicans seem to portray. It is this same cool that is carried into the Jamaican party scene when revelers kick it up a notch with their frequent party habits. Jamaicans are born with an innate love of music and the popular genres on the island are reggae and dancehall, the latter of which is more upbeat. It is said that Jamaicans will find a reason to party every night and we want to agree.
The Beaches
Jamaica’s beaches are pristine and pure. The turquoise waters are heavenly and the warmth from the sun that pierces the waves are unlike anything you’ve experienced. Depending on where you visit, you might find that the beaches are expensive to use and if you opt for a public one, which are very few,you might get bombarded with peddlers selling all manner of things including Marijuana. Negril, a popular tourist hot spot on the south side of the island boasts perhaps some of the best white sand beaches in the world.
‘Sensimilla’
Sensi’ is an abbreviation of Sensimilla which is a potent strain of Cannabis (without seeds — which is always a must). You will hear the phrase Sensimilla and Sensi throughout Reggae music as ‘under mi sensi’, which means highly stoned or under the influenced of Marijuana. Marijuana is not yet fully legal in Jamaica so if this is your pull to the island, you ought to know the laws before you indulge. People have been traveling to Jamaica for decades to experience this underground phenomenon and as far as we can see, this will only get bigger with the world economies opening up to the export and use of the plant based drug.
The Local Food
Eating local foods and cuisine when you travel is a must. It’s almost your duty. Jamaican cuisine includes a mixture of cooking techniques, flavours, spices and influences from the indigenous people on the island of Jamaica, and the Spanish, Irish, British, Africans, Indian and Chinese who have inhabited the island. It is also influenced by the crops introduced into the island from tropical Southeast Asia. Jamaican cuisine includes various dishes from the different cultures brought to the island with the arrival of people from elsewhere. Other dishes are novel or a fusion of techniques and traditions. In addition to ingredients that are native to Jamaica, many foods have been introduced and are now grown locally. A wide variety of seafood, tropical fruits and meats are available.
Some Jamaican cuisine dishes are variations on the cuisines and cooking styles brought to the island from elsewhere. These are often modified to incorporate local produce. Others are novel and have developed locally. Popular Jamaican dishes include curry goat, fried dumplings, ackee and saltfish (cod). Jamaican cuisine has been adapted by Irish, African, Indian, British, French, Spanish, and Chinese influences. Jamaican patties and various pastries and breads are also popular as well as fruit beverages and Jamaican rum.
Local-Tourism
Don’t just stay inside the guarded gates of your all-inclusive hotel. Book a tour with a reputable and insured excursion company and get to know the island a little bit more. Skip the island’s traditional tourist spots like Dunns Rivers Falls, Dolphin Cove or Margueritaville and take a hike to the hills of places like Trelawny, a green and mountainous parish on the island, see the relatively undiscovered waterfalls in St Thomas parish , check out the road side food huts and jerk pits or take a culinary journey to ‘Stush-in-the-Bush’, an organic farm to table epicurean experience.
