Jamaican tourism stays buoyant despite passport delays in US
Published:Tuesday | July 4, 2023 | 6:58 AMJanet Silvera/Senior Gleaner Writer -
WESTERN BUREAU:
The Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) says it has seen no signs that the passport renewal delay being experienced by Americans is affecting Jamaica’s bumper summer tourism season.
According to the Associated Press (AP), the wait for US passports is creating travel purgatory, snarling summer plans for many citizens in that country. Applications are so badly backed-up that passport seekers have been complaining to Congress, paying extra fees to expedite applications and following incorrect directions.
The delay has been blamed on government bureaucracy and too few humans to handle the load.
However, when The Gleaner spoke with both the president of the JHTA, Robin Russell and area chair of the Montego Bay Chapter, Nadine Spence, neither of them could say tehy had seen any shift in the buoyancy being experienced by the industry.
“We checked and there has not been any signs of cancellations relating to passport issues. In fact, many of the hoteliers have said July is almost sold out. And these are hotels across the resort areas,” said Spence yesterday, while Russell was taken aback and seemed surprised to learn of the concerns.
However, several persons residing in the United States, commenting on The Gleaner's social media pages, spoke about the long wait and the difficulty they were facing, as well as their relatives.
STAYCATION
The diaspora market is extremely important to Jamaica, particularly during the summer holidays, Emanci-pendence (Emancipation and Independence) and Christmas.
“I was supposed to be in JA last Tuesday with my child. We are still in New York, no passport,” said a user going by the Instagram handle @Raquel_raque_raquel, who noted that she exhausted every possible option and even drove to Connecticut, but was unable to get her passport back in order to travel.
The New Yorker has resigned herself to a staycation summer in the Big Apple.
Another individual, @mrs_grant2u warned readers not to try calling the agency unless they have three hours to sit on the phone waiting for an agent.
“I was placed on hold for almost three hours, only to be told 'sorry', their system is down, so they can’t provide me with an update,” she stated.
Also frustrating for others was calling the USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.
“I was on a two hour wait only to hear… no available agent to take your call,” argued @kkingslayerrrr.
At the same time, @flaver12 said she had to cancel her trip to Jamaica because, although she applied for renewal in April, she was yet to receive her passport. Others complained about waiting since February, or waiting six weeks only to receive a book with 18 pages.
In the meantime, MBJ Airports Limited said it was anticipating its busiest summer yet at Montego Bay’s Sangster International Airport, with the last three months - April to June - showing gains above 10 per cent over 2022.
“The traffic recorded for the last three months represent the highest number of arriving and departing passengers in history at SIA, with over 400,000 total passengers per month. This trend is expected to continue into July and August, resulting in high passenger traffic volume throughout the terminal and airport,” said Sharon Hislop, manager for commercial development and marketing, in a press release last Sunday.