Aruba and WTTC partner to extend biometrics beyond airport to car rentals and hotels

The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and Aruba have agreed to partner on a trial project to allow travelers to use biometrics in their journey through the airport, car rental stations and hotels, the first pilot to extend traveler biometrics beyond the airport setting, according to Breaking Travel News.

The trial is an extension of the Aruba Happy Flow program, which launched in 2015 through a partnership including the government of Aruba, Aruba Airport Authority, KLM, Royal Schiphol Group, the Dutch ministry of justice and security, the Koninklijke Marechaussee and Vision-Box. Vision-Box and the Aruba Airport Authority expanded their partnership in 2017, after the program exceeded early expectations.

Travelers will use facial recognition to pass through all checkpoints in a touch-free process.

“Our Seamless Traveller Journey programme’s vision is that the traveller will no longer need to provide personal information and passport details on multiple occasions,” comments WTTC President Gloria Guevara. “Instead, their entire journey will be seamless, faster and more enjoyable throughout. Biometrics will work at every touchpoint of the journey to make travelling easier, while providing border services with greater security.”

The WTTC estimates that investments in aviation infrastructure including biometrics could create between 12 and 31 million new tourism jobs around the world by 2028.

“We commend the government of Aruba’s commitment and taking advantage of the very latest cutting-edge biometric technology and look forward to supporting their work,” Guevara continues. “We call on other governments to take inspiration from Aruba’s efforts and to test the technology already available to see what works best for their needs.”

Tourism is important to the economy of Aruba, and Prime Minister Evelyna Wever-Croes says innovation is one of the government’s key policy drivers.

“Biometric recognition provides stakeholders in the travel ecosystem a secure identity check of their passenger, or client or guest,” adds Wever-Croes. “The data sharing between the stakeholders enabled by the shared platform is completed securely and accurately. The real time and/or advanced information generated makes the processes of all stakeholders more efficient and enhances the service they provide.”

Article Topics

airports  |  biometrics  |  border security  |  facial recognition  |  identity verification  |  One ID  |  passenger processing  |  pilot project  |  travel and tourism  |  WTTC