Antigua and Barbuda has now formally the paperless entry and departure immigration and customs system at the VC Bird International Airport which has been in a ‘testing’ phase for the last several months.
The Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority (ABTA) invited industry partners, including the Antigua and Barbuda Airport Authority, the Immigration Department, Customs, the Police, the Ministries of Information, Tourism and Foreign Affairs among others to be on hand for a LIVE demonstration of the new app; ArriveAntigua.Com.
Tourism Minister Charles Fernandez hailed the launch of the new system as a ‘game-changer’ for Antigua and Barbuda as it provides a seamless entry and departure from the country, thus reducing the processing time for visitors to the country.
Fernandez revealed that some seven years ago, he started the discussions with key personnel from agencies such as Immigration to explore the country’s options in moving to the paperless system, as such a system was more efficient and user-friendly, but also ‘a must-have’ for a tourist destination.
“This has been something that has been on the radar for some time as we realise just how important it is for tourism to allow ease of entry/exit as invariably one of the most challenging things about coming to Antigua and Barbuda is the amount of time that is spent in the long lines at the airport on arrival or at departure; this system will fix that,” he observed.
ABTA Chief Executive Officer, Colin C. James also spoke of some of the other benefits of the system to the country, especially its introduction of cutting edge technology. One of the areas of benefit will be the elimination of the use of actual papers and the beneficial effect of this move on the environment.
“When you have an efficient system at arrival at an international airport, it sets a first impression; and as we know, first impressions are long-lasting. Therefore, being able to move passengers through the airport adds to customer satisfaction; thy are happier, they enjoy the destination and most importantly, they tell people about it,” he remarked.
James revealed that the new ArriveAntigua.com system utilizes Artificial Intelligence to gather information about passengers, including their home addresses in the United States and elsewhere and that this information is now readily available rather than technicians in the ministry of tourism having to wait until the end of the month to get this vital information,” he stated.
VCBIA CEO Wendy Williams also welcomed the introduction of the new system adding that it will lead towards a more efficient and customer-friendly experience for passengers arriving at the airport.
She said she will gather stakeholders shortly to discuss the new system and how it will make their work easier.
A demonstration of the system was done for the benefit of those in attendance. This was led by Jeff Wellemeyer of the company that developed the software.
