Don’t worry about technology – Collaboration is key!

By Andy Smith, Director, Industry & Innovation, SITA

It may seem unusual for a technology provider not to lead with innovation. After all, technology plays a critical role in modern border operations. Yet years of working alongside border agencies and governments around the world consistently point to the same conclusion.

Technology is a means to an end, not the outcome itself. It enables border agencies to deliver their operational objectives, but only when it is deployed effectively and supported by the right operating models. Without strong collaboration, clear governance, and aligned ways of working, even the most advanced systems will struggle to deliver the efficiency, resilience, and security they promise.

For this reason, the most successful border programs place collaboration and partnership at their core. Technology remains essential, but it should support the strategy rather than dominate the conversation.

Borders Under Pressure: The 12 billion passenger reality
Governments are navigating a complex landscape, both figuratively and literally, when shaping border control strategies, as global travel continues to accelerate.

Passenger volumes have not only rebounded; they now exceed pre-pandemic levels. According to IATA, global traveler numbers rose by 10.4% in 2024 compared to 2023, marking a 3.8% increase over pre-pandemic figures. And the surge is far from over. According to forecasts from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), global passenger traffic will almost triple, rising from 4.6 billion passengers in 2024 to 12.4 billion by 2050.

Airports and ports worldwide are recognizing the capacity challenges and are responding by expanding or opening new terminals and increasing gate capacity. Border operations, however, often have less flexibility to adapt at the same pace. Many still rely on systems, processes, and organizational models built for a different era.

Beyond sustained growth, borders must also contend with sudden and often unpredictable shifts in demand. Major global events, changes in migration flows, and public health emergencies can all reshape travel patterns with little warning. When border processes are not able to adapt at the same pace as mobility and traveler expectations, pressure at control points increases and friction becomes unavoidable.

Security at the speed of travel
Security remains the primary responsibility of every border authority. That responsibility is non negotiable.

What has changed is the speed at which borders are expected to operate. Borders today must function at the pace of modern travel. This requires border systems that are faster, better coordinated, and highly adaptable.

Meeting these demands requires more than new technology. It calls for a shift away from static processing models toward operations that are dynamic, intelligence led, and resilient. This can only be achieved when technology is aligned, coordinated and connected with operational teams and agencies.

Flexibility is key, especially when needing to adapt to sudden changes—such as a global health crisis or large-scale events like the Olympics or FIFA World Cup – that can trigger major shifts in travel patterns. A more responsive approach allows governments to adjust and align border policies and procedures in real-time, without compromising security or safety.

This really calls for a fundamental rethink. Borders must evolve from rigid checkpoints and become inter-connected, dynamic systems that are designed not only to enforce rules, but to anticipate and rapidly adapt to change.

Unified Borders: The Power of Coordination
Understandably, border management isn’t the responsibility of a single agency, it’s a shared effort spanning immigration, customs, public health, and law enforcement. Yet when these functions operate in fragmented silos, they create “blind spots” that bad actors exploit and “bottlenecks” that frustrate legitimate travelers.

By bringing all these elements together, aligning data and decision-making, an integrated approach can create a single, unified view of each traveler or consignment crossing the border. Unifying the agencies’ vision for the border enhances efficiency and aligns teams to the desired outcomes.

National Border Strategy
Modern borders require more than a plan for fences and guards. They require a comprehensive, integrated strategy that not only secures the nation’s borders but also enables the seamless flow of trade, tourism, and legitimate travelers. An effective National Border Strategy recognizes that border management is multi-faceted, involving not just physical infrastructure but also advanced technology, coordinated operational procedures, and proactive policymaking. Importantly, this strategy must balance the imperative of national security with the equally important need to remain open for global business and economic growth.

By developing a cohesive National Border Strategy, traditional silos between agencies such as immigration, customs, public health, and law enforcement are dismantled. This enables a unified approach in which information and resources are shared and decision-making is aligned across departments. The result is a more resilient border system that can adapt swiftly to evolving threats and opportunities—be it a sudden surge in travel, a health emergency, or changes in international trade patterns.

All agencies involved in border management will have a clear understanding of their role within the Strategy. Through regular collaboration and shared objectives, each department can contribute its unique expertise while working towards a common goal. This not only enhances operational efficiency but also ensures that the benefits of improved border processes, such as reduced wait times, better resource allocation, and heightened security, are felt across all sectors. Ultimately, a unified approach delivers both departmental gains and broader national advantages, fostering a border environment that is secure, agile, and supportive of economic prosperity.

Reducing Friction at the Front Line
Every traveler wants a journey that’s faster, simpler, and more efficient, without delays at immigration control. Yet according to research from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), over 70% of travelers still face long queues and repeated document checks when passing through airports, ports, and other border points.

This friction is more than an inconvenience; it is an operational failure. Queues drain vital human resources, forcing highly trained officers to spend hours processing “low risk” passengers. By “exporting the border” – using pre-clearance data to assess travelers before they board a plane – agencies can shift their focus to where it matters most. This proactive approach has already saved the aviation industry hundreds of millions of dollars by preventing the transport of inadmissible passengers.

The $401 billion opportunity: The value of tourism
In many regions, tourism ministries are playing an increasingly active role in shaping, and in some cases financing, border-related initiatives. Tourism is a significant contributor to national income and employment, and border policy has a direct impact on its performance. When border strategies are misaligned with tourism objectives, the economic consequences can be substantial.

Conversely, if the needs of Tourism are integrated into the National Border Strategy, particularly in areas such as visa policies, and the right technology is utilized, there can be a huge benefit to the nation. When supported by the right operational models and technology, borders can become an enabler of economic growth rather than a constraint.

This impact is documented in Better Borders, a joint report by SITA and the World Travel and Tourism Council (available here: https://researchhub.wttc.org/product/better-borders), which found that effective borders could deliver more than $401bn in GDP growth and in excess of 14mn new jobs over a 10-year period.

Intuitively this makes sense – tourists aren’t spending money when they are standing in immigration queues, or even worse, when the visa regime is so complex or costly that they don’t even bother traveling in the first place.

Moving forward together
But of course, just as tourists don’t want to spend hours in queues, neither do they want to go to countries that are unsafe. The dual mandate of the modern border is clear: it must be a fortress against threats and a welcome mat for the world. That’s why there needs to be a collaborative approach to developing and delivering a cohesive National Border Strategy balancing the needs of security with a welcoming approach. The collaboration extends beyond government departments too. Implementing these strategies become major change programmes that must be structured, yet flexible enough to deal with the dynamic nature of borders and the threats to them. All involved, government departments and agencies, external bodies, vendor partners and suppliers, must buy in to and deliver to the Strategy.

So, if you’ve picked the right partner you won’t need to worry about the technology and you’ll get a collaborative, cohesive, effective National Border Strategy.