The project Tourism Statistical Information System (TSIS) should be fully operational before January 2015.
According to Ministry TEATT Chef de Cabinet Ludwig Ouenniche, after TEATT took over the project from the Ministry of Justice, Minister Hon. Ted Richardson made sure that the SXM Airport PJIAE joins in making the completion of the TSIS project a success by offering to assist where necessary.
The scanning machines are now installed at different locations within the SXM Airport arrival hall and the former is presently finalizing the setting up of the back-office area where the data will be processed.
The TSIS project once operational will facilitate the processing of data information from the Immigration arrival cards filled in by visitors. The data will then be analysed and share between the different departments such as the Department of Statistics, Immigration and Border Protection Service, the Sint Maarten Tourist Authority and the Tourist Bureau.
This long overdue project was signed off in 2009. Funding was provided by USONA. Execution of the project started in August 2011. The process from 2009 entailed getting vendors in place who would provide various products.
The actual ordering of scanners that would be used to gather the information was executed in 2011. A number of challenges were confronted and those in the meantime have been sorted out.
The actual implementation of the TSIS project is currently in its final stages through the collaboration of the Ministry TEATT, Ministry of Justice and SXM Airport.