by Donald Wood
Last updated: 8:55 AM ET, Mon April 24, 2023
Staffing shortages and a massive influx of international
travelers have resulted in long lines and even longer waits for passengers at Jamaica’s
largest airport.
According to The
Associated Press, Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett said 1.18 million people
arrived at Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay between January and
March, marking a 94 percent increase compared to the same period of 2022.
The total reported by Bartlett is also a record high for
Jamaica’s tourism high season.
The massive jump in tourism numbers resulted in “long queues
and hours-long waits,” and Bartlett revealed officials are trying to speed up
the process with better technology and ending the need to fill out paperwork
upon arrival.
“The recovery has been stronger than anticipated and
everybody all over the world is having difficulty with their airports because ...
(many) of the workers have not come back,” Bartlett told The AP.
Prime Minister Andrew Holness said Sangster International is
currently undergoing a $70 million modernization and expansion project scheduled
to be completed by 2025, a move that he said would “make Jamaica more
competitive with other countries in the region.”
The airport upgrade project is part of the Tourism
Ministry’s plan to grow tourism to over five million visitors annually by 2025,
a 35 percent increase from the 3.7 million travelers who arrived in 2022.
As part of the upgrades, Sangster International’s runway is
being lengthened, the immigration hall and departure lounge will be expanded
and at least 60 new self-service kiosks will be installed.
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