Hassle Free Travel Inches Closer To Reality

ST JOHN’S, Antigua, Sept. 28, 2014 – Travel could become more hassle free in the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) within a year’s time.

Brian Challenger, who is part of the Caribbean Tourism Organisation’s (CTO) Aviation Task Force, said issues including, restricting Caribbean travelers to in transit-lounges for long waits are to be addressed.

“The whole question of ease of in transit travel facilitation and I think we are hoping to work very closely with the OECS. There is a new director general there who I know is very keen on this subject as well,” Challenger said, who also serves as the Antigua and Barbuda Government’s aviation consultant.

“I am fairly optimistic that within a year or so we should be able to resolve virtually all of those problems in that regard.”

Challenger said there are several issues to be addressed.

“There are a number of things to be done in order to see the type of smooth functioning that we all want to see. I think there are still bureaucratic and other challenges which we face. We as stakeholders, we as the interested parties really have to lobby the powers that be, be it the politicians, be it the bureaucrats,” Challenger said.

“Sometimes we blame the politicians too much and some of the problems lie within the bureaucracy sometimes – inertia, lack of interest, lack of capability, lack of will to move forward, lack of a full understanding of the implications of what you have just said.

“There are no simple solutions and some of these are cultural issues, some of these are legal issues, but I am cautiously optimistic that we will overcome.”

The aviation task force was set up by former chairman of the CTO Ricky Skerritt and Beverly Nicholson-Doty.

Some of the task force’s recommendations to date include a single visa regime where once a visitor is cleared in the first port of entry, they can continue to travel seamlessly through the Caribbean.

They also recommend a review of airport taxes and an end to secondary screening for intra-regional travelers in transit.