JHTA welcomes decision to test visitors

The Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) is welcoming the government’s decision to institute COVID-19 testing for visitors to the island and says it is awaiting details on the roll-out of the regime at airports.

Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett made the disclosure at a COVID-19 press conference yesterday afternoon.  

This is a reversal of an earlier announcement by Prime Minister Andrew Holness.

READ: Travellers to be swabbed for COVID-19

The JHTA says while it appreciates the many moving parts the government is managing in relation to COVID-19, it is vital for a streamlined approach to be taken for the introduction of protocols for the tourism sector as well as an effective communications strategy.  

It argues that these are important, particularly relative to when and what is said to guide the global travel trade community on Jamaica’s policy related to entry and COVID-19 testing.

“It is therefore unfortunate that the decision to test all incoming passengers follows a prior announcement that no such blanket requirement was required.  

“A lack of timely and concise communications serves only to confuse the market and discredit the hard work of all involved in trying to reopen our economy,” a JHTA spokesperson said in a statement.

The association is of the view that with this new testing regime along with the already announced tourism protocols, Jamaica has provided a multi-layer strategy to mitigate risks for tourism workers, the wider Jamaican community and visitors.

It is encouraging the government to quickly put in place a workable strategy for commercial testing that considers volumes in the hundreds of thousands for the entire country including the tourism sector.

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