Government senator, Marlon Morgan, is rubbishing the call by the opposition People’s National Party, PNP, for the government to release plans to stop the soaring cost of air travel to Jamaica and declining visitor arrivals.
In a statement on Wednesday, Morgan said the government has no influence over pricing mechanisms.
Morgan was responding to a press release on Tuesday by Opposition Spokesperson on Tourism, Andrea Purkiss.
She claimed that checks in mid-August showed return flights between Montego Bay and Miami on American Airlines costing over US$3,000s, while a trip from Fort Lauderdale to Kingston was priced at US$3,700.
Purkiss called on the government to report to Parliament on airlift negotiations for Florida routes before winter, state what relief exists for Jamaicans facing emergency travel costs and provide a timeline to restore competitive service from Kingston to Fort Lauderdale.
She also said the government should publish an impact assessment and contingency plan for the closure of budget airline Spirit.
Senator Morgan says the government notes that the cost of travel between Jamaica and cities in the United States and elsewhere are higher now than they would typically be.
He says the PNP spokesperson ought to know that there are several factors outside of the control or influence of the government that have been driving up the cost of travel.
Meanwhile, Senator Morgan says tourist arrivals for 2026 is 80 per cent of what it was last year, despite a drop in room stock due to Hurricane Melissa.
This, in response to Purkiss’ claim that Sangster International handled almost 27 per cent fewer passengers in the first half of the year.
She said overall stopover arrivals fell 23.5 per cent to just over 1 million, with US arrivals down nearly 28 per cent.
Purkiss also claimed that while Hurricane Melissa reduced room stock, other destinations that also lost the service of Spirit Airlines have grown.
But Senator Morgan says tourist arrivals are pacing ahead of last year, despite the devastation caused by the category five system in October.
Marlon Morgan, government senator and a member of the Jamaica Labour Party’s Communications Taskforce.
