President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali has called for faster, digital visa systems to make travel to and from the Caribbean easier. He said slow, in-person processes are holding back tourism, business and international partnerships.

Speaking at the opening of the Caribbean Tourism Organisation’s State of the Tourism Industry Conference (SOTIC) on Wednesday, the president said travellers from the region who need European visas must often travel to another country, such as Trinidad and Tobago or Suriname and sometimes have to wait for days for an appointment before they can make their trip.

“The modern world can’t be that complicated. You can get the biometrics of anybody…in a couple of seconds,” he said.

The Guyanese leader said the delays work against the closer ties both regions want, especially when Caribbean delegates are invited to international conferences abroad.

He said, “You can’t build partnership and friendship like that.”

President Ali contrasted this with the Gulf states, where electronic visas are easy to get, and flights between countries run almost every hour.

He said that kind of seamless movement helps a region build a shared tourism ecosystem and added that a similar network of connectivity is now being developed across Latin America.

The head of state said better connectivity, from integrated transport to simpler travel documents, is the most important investment the Caribbean can make to compete for visitors at scale.