Gov’t looking to streamline airport visitor experience
The government is taking steps toward streamlining the current visitor experience at the Terrance B Lettsome International Airport.
This is according to Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley who told reporters at a press conference recently that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is expected to be signed soon with the Caribbean Community on an air passenger information system.
“This will help us tremendously because even before someone gets on a plane, you’ll receive the information here in the Virgin Islands, which will allow us to be able to scrutinise the persons on the list, do our due diligence, so that when they get here, it’s, it’s not a very long process for them to be processed because we would’ve had the information prior to their arrival,” the Premier said.
Premier Wheatley expressed that the move corresponds with the transformation that has been taking place within the government as it pertains to border management and made reference to a digital border management system that is currently in place at the airport.
In the meantime, Managing Director at the BVI Airports Authority, Kurt Menal, explained that the first point of entry for visitors is usually at the airport, and currently the entity is restricted by its infrastructure.
“So there’s a group working together — Customs, Immigration, Tourism, and the Airports Authority to streamline that experience,” Menal said.
He added: “What you will see come February, March is our Immigration, Customs will be doing away with the ED cards, so that would make it more seamless.”
Regarding the restrictions affecting the Customs and Immigration spaces at the airport presently, Menal noted that there are plans to gradually expand.
”So what you’ll see is a continuous spatial planning exercise going on where the look of Customs and Immigration, in terms of the physical layout, will change. So the passenger would flow through more seamlessly, [and] they’d have more space. You’d have a different angle or different type of baggage belt, different carousel,” Menal explained.
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… but the immigration officers at the airport are on ‘break’ until after the plane lands and the passengers are lined up – when are they going to look at the passenger lists – not until they get to their booths I suspect.
The BVI ain’t ready for prime time!
I thought with the list they received from the airlines with the passenger name who will disembark the plane and the scanned passport at port before boarding would have already helped them.
Seems like “a different angle or different type of baggage belt, different carousel” is really not the big problem at the airport….
Focus on what does matter – a positive and efficient human experience!
What about the airline that come from outside the Caribbean community. Or is the CARICOM member only that causes problems?
WHEN THE RUN WAY GOING EXPAND
The woman working yesterday to guide arrivals to the Immigration line was very rude. No need to speak to guests this way.
Is the big, fat, rude cabbie that sits on the bench outside the airport still yelling racial insults to the arriving passengers? Might want to put him out to pasture……..
One of the problem is the lack of immigration officers at the airport. The government need to look into this immediately and do something about.
The current officers are overworked, and some not all are very disrespectful, especially that tall lady, she needs to be in the back of some office filing papers and not in the view of the public.
Why everyone has to come off the plane before moving towards the immigration? Does anyone know if other places does that?
None sense
Need more professional at the airport
Disgraceful staff and airport
The tall red skin one with the ridiculously long nails. She’s so rude and unwelcoming.