Travelling to the Bahamas? Canada issues updated advisory
Canada is urging Canadians travelling to the Bahamas to be careful in an updated travel advisory.
On Wednesday, Sept. 17, the Government of Canada shared its updated travel advice for the Bahamas, warning travellers of safety concerns in the archipelago nation.
“Exercise a high degree of caution in The Bahamas due to high rates of crime, especially in Nassau and Freeport,” reads the advisory.
According to the statement, petty crimes such as pickpocketing and bag snatching may occur in popular tourist areas, and robberies have also been reported in cruise ship terminals and resort areas in Nassau and Freeport. There’s also a higher rate of crime during events such as holidays, festivals, and regattas.
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If you’re travelling in the Bahamas, ensure that your passports and travel documents are in a secure location. Don’t carry large sums of cash or valuables unless necessary, and exercise extra caution when withdrawing money from ATMs. Tourists are also advised not to “show signs of affluence or wear expensive jewellery.”
In Nassau and Freeport, the most common crimes committed against travellers are armed robberies, burglaries, fraud, sexual assaults, and theft. If you’re driving, don’t exit your vehicle to remove objects blocking the road due to the risk of robberies and carjackings. Always keep car doors locked and windows rolled up, and don’t leave valuables within reach or in plain sight.
It’s also important to be aware of the risk of violent crime, which is often due to gang activity. These crimes mostly occur on the islands of New Providence and Grand Bahama.
“The Bahamas has a high murder rate, but incidents mostly occur in downtown Nassau in non-tourist areas after dark,” reads the website. “High incidences of violent crime occur in neighbourhoods outside of high tourist areas.”
In May, Travel and Tour World reported that the number of Canadian travellers arriving in The Bahamas saw “an explosive fifty point three percent year-on-year growth.” According to the Caribbean Tourism Organization, over 120,000 Canadians visited the country in 2025, already surpassing numbers from 2024.
Recently, Ottawa also issued travel advisory updates for other popular destinations, such as Jamaica and Mexico.