Discontinue with EHAS

Dear Editor,

A letter written by SHTA to the authorities responsible for tourism is on the mark as it pertains to the EHAS. I don’t think the person(s) responsible for tourism keeps up to date with the advancement our competitors have made since their termination of COVID-19 restrictions.

Once upon a time we were the trend setters with our tourism product, when other islands were still into agriculture. Today, they followed and learned from us, and have become more progressive in tourism.

They have all done away with entry restrictions to their respective islands. But, we like stubborn children still maintaining EHAS restrictions. Each time you travel to Statia or Saba for a couple of days, you must go through the hassle of completing an EHAS application with same information over and over at least (30 minutes spent), just get back home. When you received the approval, you treated as some foreign visitor!

Now, the PM and Minister handling tourism telling you EHAS is needed for acquiring so called “data”. What new method of data can be had, that you did not have before the pandemic??

Do you have data as to visitors arriving in the northern side from Guadeloupe or Martinique and crosses the border for shopping and entertainment ? What about those from Anguilla, who land in Marigot and visit family and friends in the southern side?

You have done away with the collection of $15.00 for so-called insurance fee exacted from the tourist. Good gesture!

One thing though, airlines going to complain that their spend extra time checking in a customer because of verifying an EHAS QR code approval, while other islands returned to normal pre pandemic conditions.

If a tourist want travel to an island this winter, which one will the potential tourist choose, a still Covid restriction or non restriction?

By the way, it will be good to know why Jetblue and Frontier no longer flying to SXM and not scheduled for the upcoming season. While these two airlines expanding elsewhere in region.

Get rid of the EHAS, because it has become a nuisance for our traveling residents and in particular potential visitors.

F. Lake