IATA launches www.iatatravelcentre.com
GENEVA – The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has launched the IATA Travel Centre at www.iatatravelcentre.com to provide passport, visa and health information necessary for air travellers.
“This responds to the consumer demand for self-service by giving travellers easy access to helpful and accurate information about the essentials of travel—from what documents are required to what taxes must be paid,” said Giovanni Bisignani, IATA’s director general and CEO.
At the time of booking, the IATA Travel Centre provides tailored information by itinerary on passport, visa and health requirements, as well as taxes at arriving and departing airports and consumer and currency regulations.
The service is offered free of charge to individual travellers. Links to the IATA Travel Centre can be included on booking sites and in e-mail travel confirmations.
Travellers are responsible for having correct documentation with them. Whilst most documentation problems are discovered at check-in, every year an estimated 35,000 travellers are turned back at destination or transfer points by immigration authorities due to improper documentation.
The average fine for every passenger arriving or transiting without proper documentation is US$5,000. When combined with associated manpower costs, the annual expense to the industry is over US$200 million.
The Travel Centre builds on 40 years of expertise in providing travel documentation advice to airlines, travel agencies and passengers.
It is based upon an enhanced version of IATA’s TIM/Timatic service which monitors and automatically updates passengers of changing regulatory requirements that will impact their travel plans.
There are about 14,000 such changes recorded in the Timatic database each year.
“The Travel Centre is the first of a number of initiatives IATA is driving to help the industry to improve service while reducing these costs,” said Bisignani.
Ian Jarrett
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists
Cyclone in Sri Lanka had limited effect on tourism in contrary to media reports
Singapore to forbid entry to undesirable travelers with new no-boarding directive
Euromonitor International unveils world’s top 100 city destinations for 2025