Foreign Office And US State Department Issue ‘Do Not Travel’ Warning For Haiti: What This Means For Tourists Now

Published on July 20, 2025

The UK Foreign Office lists Haiti as a no-go zone for British citizens due to high levels of insecurity and a worsening humanitarian crisis. As the Caribbean country careens toward collapse, the stakes stretch well beyond tourism,and include diplomacy, human rights and global security.

UK And US Government: “Avoid Haiti At All Costs”

The UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) advised against all travel to Haiti in an updated travel advisory on 19 July 2025. No British consular officials are based there, and consular support cannot be offered on the ground, the FCDO said. Travelers who flout this advice may have their insurance voided and access to assistance terribly restricted.

This announcement came on the heels of an accompanying alert published by the U.S. State Department, which on 15 July 2025 updated its Level 4 “Do Not Travel” alert. The reasons? A terrifying mix of gang control of core cities, widespread kidnappings, popular frustrations and a health care system that is collapsing.

A Paradise Lost: How The Fall Of Haiti’s Tourism Industry Will Devastate The Economy

Once thought to be a cultural jewel in the Caribbean, Haiti is off limits to all but a few tourists. Famed for a rich Creole heritage, historical forts and a picturesque coastline, the country’s image today is defined by the gnaw of gang violence and turmoil.

While most travel has come to a standstill, Royal Caribbean is still making limited cruise calls at Labadee, a fenced-off private resort on the northern coast of Haiti. This top secret object — which the company has been leasing since 1985 — is heavily guarded and no one, apart from the company’s security team, knows what’s happening in there. It is an unreal poster: well-protected tourists lounging in safety while a nation is pulled apart just on the other side of a fence.

The ethical and practical dilemmas of such an operation has faced criticism. SHOULD COMPANIES PROFIT FROM A TERRITORY GRAPPLED BY TERROR? And could the isolated “safe zones” really provide any real protection in a collapsed state?

Global Stakes Rise As Haiti’s Unrest Deepens

Haiti’s troubles are no longer solely local. More than 5,600 civilian deaths linked to gang violence have been documented by the United Nations over the past year. Armed groups have taken over key infrastructure, such as sections of Port-au-Prince, making distribution of international aid all but impossible.

The Dominican Republic — Haiti’s only neighbor — shuttered the border in March 2024 after violence began to spill across borders. The shutdown extends to land and sea routes, complicating evacuations and the delivery of emergency aid.

The UK, along with many Western nations, does not have a diplomatic mission in Haiti. Instead, British nationals must turn to the UK embassy in the Dominican Republic. This mismatch highlights a larger problem, Without boots on the ground, global powers have little capacity to influence or help.

British Nationals In The Crossfire

This is the dangerous dilemma now confronting our nationals in Haiti. Nineteen have closed, so getting emergency help from a local embassy is unlikely. In that context, civilians might have little protection in case of a medical emergency, violent crime, or detention.

Travel insurance policies won’t even provide coverage in the case of a real “do not travel” warning. Tourists already in Haiti are being strongly advised to stay away from scenes of breakaway crowds, stay indoors and have exit strategies prepared.

Haiti’s entry regulations still permit 90-day visa-free visits for UK travellers, but on the ground these legal allowances do little to mitigate against the thuggery of armed gangs or the systemic dysfunction.

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Haiti’s decline didn’t happen overnight. Criminal syndicates have rushed in to fill the vacuum that developed as gang members capitalized on the chaos after the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse. The country declared a state of emergency in March 2024, and the situation has deteriorated since then.

Ransom kidnappings are now more routine, and the victims of such operations are foreign and local alike. Armed muggings, rapes and violent road blocks occur. There is little, if any, effective law enforcement or, in some places, no law enforcement at all. Hospitals are full, underresourced and sometimes have no power or drugs.

Travel between cities, too, is risky. Many roads are controlled by armed groups, and travelers have been abducted from vehicles or stopped at illegal checkpoints.

Data Confirms, Haiti Is One Of The World’s Most Dangerous Countries To visit

Sites of interest Today, Haiti remains among the most dangerous places in the world to travel. It now joins war-torn countries and high-conflict zones on the UK’s and U.S.’s top level of travel advisories.

Comparative data reveals a sharp rise in violent crime and the complete collapse of the public safety system. With more than 5,600 deaths related to crime in the past year, and no signs of light on the horizon, the country’s position is unlikely to change soon.

Other Western governments, as well as Canada and the E.U., have issued similar advisories. It reverses a travel history in which Haiti was no more dangerous or complex than any other third world destination. Global insurance and tourism players are adjusting to a world where Haiti is virtually off the travel map.

Conclusion: A Nation In Crisis, A World On Watch

Now, instead of being a shining example of Caribbean culture, it’s an emblem of regional chaos. The chaos and violence plaguing Haiti may create an even worse problem than the one posed by its several million starving people, for it endangers not only foreign travelers, aid workers, and diplomatic missions, but also its own citizens.

For now, the message from foreign governments is clear: do not travel to Haiti. Until governance, public safety, and basic services return, the risks will outweigh any potential reward — whether you happen to be a tourist, investor or foreign diplomat.