Hotels complain about COVID travel authorisation delays

Janet Silvera​, Senior Gleaner Writer

At least one local hotel has lost several bookings to another country and another has seen a 10 per cent reduction in revenue because of lengthy delays for travellers to receive COVID-19 authorisation from the Government.

Up to Saturday evening, it was taking up to five days to get a response from the team set up to vet and authorise travel for visitors who test negative for COVID-19, forcing many would-be travellers to Jamaica to either cancel their trips or pay hefty change fees of up to US$500 to some airlines.

“People can’t get authorisation. People are stranded,” an upset Omar Robinson, president of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association, lamented as he said that his members have complained about losing business during a period when they are struggling to survive.

According to Robinson, Jamaica’s reputation is being affected as a result of the long wait to process COVID authorisations.

Couples Resorts has indicated that it lost 40 bookings to Mexico because visitors could not board flights to Jamaica due to delayed COVID authorisations.

In other instances, some persons were forced to do their polymerase chain reaction tests twice, just so that they could secure authorisation to visit the island.

General Manager at Half Moon hotel in Montego Bay, Shernett Crichton, said one of her guests from the United Kingdom was left disappointed after he was unable to propose to his girlfriend in Jamaica because of the delay in her getting travel authorisation.

Addressing the concerns at a virtual press conference on Sunday, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health and Wellness, Dunstan Bryan, said the issue has been given attention.

“An intervention was made on Saturday [August, 22] based on the large volume that needed to be cleared from a health perspective and the backlog has been cleared. All persons scheduled to travel have been vetted by the health team and as of today, August 23, we have cleared all persons.”

Bryan said another 273 persons would be cleared by Sunday night, once they had their negative COVID-19 results.

Meanwhile, hoteliers say they want the Government to address concerns about visitors being restricted from leaving resorts to eat at restaurants or play at the various COVID-compliant attractions.

“As EP (European Plan) hotels, we encourage our guests to get out to enjoy Jamaica, but we have not been able to do this. Now they can’t move,” Tensing Pen Negril’s Evelyn Smith told The Gleaner.

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