In partnership with the Office of the Minister of Tourism
and Public Health for Aruba, The Aruba Tourism Authority has announced the
successful demo of the Aruba Happy One Pass (AHOP) program and unveiled plans
for the upcoming installation of the SITA Automatic Border Control Gates at
Queen Beatrix International Airport.
The first of its kind, AHOP is a digital travel credential
system that allows visitors to hold their data on their mobile devices and
share it directly with immigration officials to create a hassle-free travel
experience centered around privacy.
Travelers can now complete pre-boarding verification and
smoothly cross border checkpoints without providing their physical passports
once AHOP launches for all travelers coming to Aruba beginning in March 2024.
"The latest achievements for Aruba Happy One Pass
signify our steady progress in transforming the traveler experience – ensuring
our guests start their vacations sooner," said Ronella Croes, CEO of Aruba
Tourism Authority. "Aruba is proud to continue building upon its
innovative approach within the tourism industry, providing an exceptional
travel experience for its visitors. We continue to look forward to the full
implementation of the Aruba Happy One pass program."
Through AHOP, travelers turn their physical passports into
verifiable digital credentials on their mobile devices. Additional biometric
checks at immigration match traveler’s passport images via facial recognition.
This process streamlines border control's flow, cutting wait times and getting
travelers to their destinations quicker, while also reducing the risk of error,
identity theft or fraud.
As an advocate for digital innovation in Aruba, Minister of
Tourism and Public Health, Dangui Oduber envisions AHOP as a launching pad for
digital transformation across the island’s tourist-focused economy and hopes to
leverage it in different sectors, including hospitality, events and services.
Through AHOP’s technology, Aruba is poised to offer a level of service that
will propel it to the forefront of the global tourism industry.
"The emergence of digital identities means we will be
able to travel from anywhere to everywhere – by air, land, or sea – without
needing to show physical travel documents," said Jeremy Springall, SITA's
Senior Vice-President, SITA AT BORDERS.
He adds, “This latest demonstration with AHOP represents a
significant step forward in the shift towards digital travel. A critical
feature of the technology is that it puts passengers first, following
privacy-by-design principles that give passengers complete control of their
data and permitting them to consent to sharing data when needed.”
Designed with a 'passenger-first' approach, AHOP allows
passengers to hold their own data and biometrics, eliminating the need for
third-party data storage – a true milestone in the industry. This feature
ensures compliance with data protection laws and reassures visitors their
personal information is protected and under their control.
“Adding biometrics to Aruba AHOP’s capabilities is an
important step toward transforming global travel,” said Heather Dahl, CEO of
Indicio, a global leader in verifiable data and decentralized identity
technology. “It adds a critical element to identity verification, she added,
“binding the credential to a person’s device so that we can be sure that when
it’s used, it’s the credential owner using it. This provides the final element
of trust to accelerate Aruba’s digital transformation of the travel and tourism
experience. We are excited to see this result from our ground-breaking work
with our partner SITA and where it will go next. We’d say, ‘The sky’s the
limit,’ but we’ve already exceeded that.”
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