JUST under 300 customs, immigration and police officers in western Jamaica and Kingston recently underwent training in customer service delivery to improve travellers’ experience at the ports, as well as that of local residents.

Spearheaded and sponsored by the Montego Bay Branch of the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), the customer service training workshops were held in Montego Bay and Kingston, each spanning a three-day period. The final segment concluded at the Jamaica Conference Centre in downtown Kingston, recently.

Junior staff, supervisors and senior managers from the Jamaica Customs and Immigration departments, as well as police constables up to the rank of superintendent, were among those who benefited from the training.

Recently, the Montego Bay Branch of the JTB embarked on an extensive drive aimed at sensitising immigration, customs and police personnel of the importance in raising and maintaining the standard of customer service delivery.

With its primary mandate to promote Brand Jamaica internationally, thereby increasing arrivals, regional director at the JTB’s western office, Odette Dyer, said the JTB sees it necessary to strategically improve Jamaica’s image on an ongoing basis, particularly through continuous training.

“This can only be achieved through the forging of strong partnerships among stakeholders, the relevant agencies, and undoubtedly, our people who create the experiences through service delivery. This forms part of the reason why Jamaica has a 42 per cent visitor repeat rate,” Dyer stated.

Meanwhile, convenor of the workshops, psychologist Dr Leachim Semaj, has commended the JTB for having the insight to extend this high-level training to the hundreds of participants in Kingston and Montego Bay.

Dr Semaj said with the level of participation demonstrated by the attendees, he was confident that customer service delivery at our points of entry and exit, would be of the highest standards.

Dr Semaj, who has travelled extensively in the region, strongly believes that the Jamaican immigration and customs officers demonstrate the highest standard of customer service across the Caribbean.

“This is something that the men and women at our ports should be proud of and should always seek to continuously raise the bar, so that Jamaica continues to be the destination of choice in the region,” he said.