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(07 September 2022, 11:35 +07)
Jamaica has confirmed that it will adopt SITA’s Digital Travel
Declaration solution allowing travelers to submit all immigration,
customs and health documentation required for entry into the
country through a secure platform.
Digital Travel Declaration will support Jamaica’s
Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA) in clearing
passengers for travel pre-departure.
After having seen visitor numbers plunge by more
than half in 2021 due to the COVID19 pandemic, Jamaica is well on
its way to a full recovery of its tourism sector. SITA’s Digital Travel Declaration
will help travelers avoid long queues at the airport, automating
verification processes and certifying that they have the right
documents to travel before they even arrive at the airport.
Aircraft flying overhead. Picture by Steven Howard of TravelNewsAsia.com
Andrew Wynter, CEO, PICA, said, “We want to
welcome visitors to Jamaica in the friendliest, safest, and most
straightforward way possible, and we are delighted to see visitors
returning in great numbers. SITA has provided us the opportunity
to streamline our processes for entry to the country and offer a
simpler experience to travelers while helping ensure the safety of
everyone. Given Jamaica’s past successes implementing SITA’s
innovative border solutions, I know the Digital Travel Declaration
will be of great benefit to the Jamaican economic and governance
strategies.”
The Jamaican government currently collects immigration and
customs data from each traveler through a separate online platform.
The Digital Travel Declaration system will
consolidate the process and provide a single platform
for passengers to submit all required documents and data and
receive travel authorization.
With the ability to verify information and assess
risk levels, the Digital Travel Declaration system can provide
validation to passengers pre-departure, ensuring clarity on
whether or not they can travel well before they arrive at the
airport.
The system enhances travel facilitation and assists in
reducing bottlenecks at airports from checks upon arrival.
Furthermore, PICA will be able to easily adapt and reconfigure the
Digital Travel Declaration solution whenever entry requirements to
Jamaica change.
While
the use of Digital Travel Declaration will initially be limited to
air travel, the system has the potential to be expanded to sea
travel, the second main mode of entry to Jamaica.
Matthys Serfontein, President of SITA Americas,
said, “We are extremely proud to support the Jamaican government
in optimizing their systems for welcoming travelers just as
visitor numbers rapidly catch up to pre-pandemic levels. The
benefits of Digital Travel Declaration in terms of added
efficiency and simplicity are sure to last well into the long
term. We applaud the ways Jamaica has endeavored to continually
refine its border processes with the help of new technologies, and
we look forward to continuing our partnership.”
PICA has already implemented SITA’s automated
border control (ABC) kiosks at Jamaica’s two major airports in
Montego Bay and Kingston.
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