THE EDITOR, Sir:
I HAVE written to make my concerns known to you about the appalling inconsistencies that are taking place at the Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay.
My three aunts and two children arrived in the Montego Bay on Saturday night, August 17, 2002 on an Air Jamaica flight from London. This flight arrived after 10 p.m. Having not been to Jamaica in two years, they came for a four-week vacation to visit their aged mother.
The flight on Air Jamaica was beautiful but the nightmare began for my family when they arrived at a customs check point when they were greeted by a most unpleasant and rude customs officer who proceeded to check every piece of their luggage and asked them how much money they spent to purchase the contents in their suitcases. They told the officer that it was their personal effects and that they were on vacation. This did not make a difference as she proceeded to charge them duty on the contents and told one person that she was only entitled to carry three pairs of shoes for her and her two children. When they resisted, they were told that this was a new policy.
As if that was not absurd enough, can you believe they only accepted Jamaican dollars as duty? No pounds or US dollars etc. Visitors were expected to find the Jamaican currency wherever, despite the fact that the Cambio was closed at that hour of the night.
How many persons have not returned to our shores because of poor treatment by our customs officers? We love to talk about tourist harassment in our towns but the truth is our tourists are being harassed right in our airport by persons who are being paid to treat them with dignity and respect.
I am etc.,
OPAL GILBERT
opalg@cwjamaica.com
Kingston
Via Go-Jamaica
