Posted by: travadmin on Oct 26, 2003 – 12:25 PM
newsandinfo The Centre will be supported by a new computerized information system which will also allow Ministry of Tourism officials to target advertising campaigns to particular demographic groups while at the same time tracking individual visitor complaints.
Data from the system will also enable Department of Immigration officials to monitor persons who may have remained in the country beyond their authorised length of stay.
Minister of Tourism, Obie Wilchcombe announced Wednesday at a press conference that the Tourism Ministry has partnered with Indusa LLC, an information systems service firm in Atlanta, Georgia to establish the Caribbean Advanced Technology Centre (CATC).
This joint venture is 49 per cent owned by the Ministry of Tourism with the remaining 51 per cent being held by Indusa LLC.
The initial aim of the CATC for The Bahamas will be the processing of Bahamas immigration cards and providing immigration search capabilities and tourism reporting. The system, which will also be marketed to other Caribbean destinations has already received interest from a prospective client, the Greenville Convention and Visitors Bureau in South Carolina.
Mr. Wilchcombe said that the system has allowed The Bahamas to catch up on the processing of outstanding immigration cards that were nine years behind and are now currently just four days away from being totally current.
Indusa, which was established six years ago, first began its relationship with the Caribbean region through an alliance with Jamaica. According to James Ram, chief executive officer of Indusa, the company initially set up operations in Jamaica where they formed alliances with strategic partners such as Mitsubishi Corporation and IBM.
The company’s main software development facility is located in Montego Bay, Jamaica along with an educational facility developed to provide the necessary training the company required.
In a demonstration of the technology, Jo Ram, chief operating officer of Indusa, displayed how the system deciphered new immigration cards designed specifically for the software to provide both immigration and tourism information.
She noted that the software would provide specific information on the traveler, including their zip code.
The data can also be translated into Excel, Access, PDF documents as well as being graphed and plotted to produce thousands of variations of reports.
Ms Ram added that the ultimate goal of the new system is “visitor satisfaction”. To achieve this an online welcome centre will also be established to allow visitors to log complaints. The online form will allow specific information on incidents to be recorded.
A gatekeeper, identified as the Ministry of Tourism will monitor the welcome centre. The ministry will be responsible for dispatching the complaints to the relevant organization. Hotels will also be able to use the system to view specific comments recorded about them by visitors.
In addition to providing tourism reports, the system will also be able to track immigration data with the purpose of enforcing national security. The new immigration card developed to go along with the system will contain information on everyone entering or leaving The Bahamas and will provide specific information such as nationality, age, financial standing, length of stay and type of accommodation.
In his presentation, Vincent Peet, Minister of Labour and Immigration, revealed that the information provided through the new cards would serve as an evaluative tool identifying key market sectors, objectives and shifts, while at the same time assisting in the protection of the country’s borders by monitoring persons in the country illegally.
The new cards were redesigned with more check boxes to eliminate the need to decipher handwriting. The new system also allows for the retrieving of an actual copy of the physical card if necessary.
Mr. Wilchcombe added that the CATC would provide the necessary training needed by Bahamians through its proposed Information Technology Centre to be established in The Bahamas in conjunction with the College of the Bahamas.
The alliance with Indusa will also allow The Bahamas to gather specific, current accurate profiles of the country’s customer base which will allow for informed marketing decisions, he said.
Initial work began on the project in February of 2002 and the entire system is expected to
By Martella Matthews, The Nassau Guardian