The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and the Government of Aruba have announced a new partnership to launch the world's first pilot program that links aviation and non-air destination services by using biometric technology to create a seamless, secure and easy travel experience from flight to car rental and hotel check-in, while also improving border security and business efficiency.
The Aruba Happy Flow is billed as the world’s first seamless passenger facilitation. Launched in 2015, it will be extended with this pilot program to include car rental and hotel check-in. The program will enable travelers to move more efficiently, faster and more securely through every part of the travel experience, with the pilot program's participants using biometric technology throughout the entire traveler journey .
Due to launch in 2020, the Aruba Happy Flow hotel and car rental extension will allow travelers to trial the application of biometric technology at every stage of the travel process, from arrival, border management, collecting their rental car and checking in at their hotel. With support from WTTC under its Seamless Traveller Journey initiative, representatives from several industries within the travel and tourism sector, such as airlines, airports, hospitality and car rental, will be able to jointly test different technologies that interconnect and work to improve the experience for the traveler.
Happy Flow passengers provide their identity only once when traveling, with the data then processed securely, satisfying organizations and government agencies throughout the journey. The traveler would then pass through checkpoints during the journey using only their facial recognition, making it a completely touch-free process.
The participating hotels in this pilot program are Divi Aruba Resorts and the Bucuti and Tara Beach Resort. The local Hertz Car Rental franchise in Aruba is the program's car rental partner.
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