Opposition Spokesperson on Tourism, Senator Janice Allen, has expressed concern about the "inadequacy" of customs and immigration staff at the Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, St James.
“The fact is the entire tourism experience starts from the port of arrival and ends with the departure. Therefore, the first point of contact is critical in ensuring a positive start to the vacation experience”, Allen said in a statement.
According to the Senator, in recent weeks the immigration hall, has severely worsened and many visitors have taken to social media to express their dissatisfaction and alarm.
" Jamaica’s tourism product and its future booking prospects will be seriously impacted unless the issues are urgently addressed by the key stakeholders, including the Ministries of Finance and the Public Service, National Security and Tourism, as well as the MBJ Airport operators," she said.
Allen also said that in addition to the staff shortage, there is an urgent need to shorten processing times so that the wait times during peak periods can be reduced from the unacceptable 2-3 hours, to under an hour from start to end.
She has urged the government, and the relevant agencies to move speedily to find long term solutions to this growing problem.
