Guyana president calls for faster digital visa processing across Caribbean
President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Mohamed Irfaan Ali
Key Points(5)
- Guyanese President Mohamed Irfaan Ali is calling for faster, digital visa processing across the Caribbean, saying lengthy and sometimes inconvenient visa procedures are making it harder for people to travel, do business and build international partnerships.
- Speaking Wednesday at the opening of the Caribbean Tourism Organization’s State of the Tourism Industry Conference (SOTIC), Ali said some Caribbean travelers seeking European visas must travel to another country, such as Trinidad and Tobago or Suriname, to complete the application process.
- He said travelers can then face additional delays waiting for an appointment before they can proceed with their trips.
- “The modern world can’t be that complicated.
- You can get the biometrics of anybody … in a couple of seconds,” Ali said.
Guyanese President Mohamed Irfaan Ali is calling for faster, digital visa processing across the Caribbean, saying lengthy and sometimes inconvenient visa procedures are making it harder for people to travel, do business and build international partnerships.
Speaking Wednesday at the opening of the Caribbean Tourism Organization’s State of the Tourism Industry Conference (SOTIC), Ali said some Caribbean travelers seeking European visas must travel to another country, such as Trinidad and Tobago or Suriname, to complete the application process.
He said travelers can then face additional delays waiting for an appointment before they can proceed with their trips.
“The modern world can’t be that complicated. You can get the biometrics of anybody … in a couple of seconds,” Ali said.
He also pointed to the impact of visa requirements on Caribbean officials and other delegates invited to international conferences.
“You can’t build partnership and friendship like that,” he said.
Ali contrasted the Caribbean’s visa processes with those in Gulf states, where he said electronic visas can be obtained more easily and air connections between countries are frequent.
He argued that easier movement between countries would help the Caribbean develop a more integrated tourism industry, allowing visitors to move more easily between destinations rather than treating each island or country as a separate market.
The president also pointed to expanding connectivity across Latin America, saying the region is developing broader networks that can facilitate movement between countries.
For the Caribbean, he said, improving connectivity should extend beyond flights and other transportation infrastructure to include simpler travel documentation and visa processes.
Ali described better regional connectivity and easier travel as among the most important investments the Caribbean can make as it seeks to attract visitors at greater scale.
