Three months into a pilot project to introduce digital agriculture declaration forms to incoming travelers, state officials say more people are filling them out.
Dubbed "Akamai Arrival," the project aims to figure out how compliance in filling out the forms changes if passengers receive them digitally instead of via paper on the plane.
That’s been the case so far. Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke said that it’s likely because the digital forms are more convenient.
“It's accessible pre-departure and pre-arrival, and it's available in six languages,” Luke said in a news conference, adding, “Hawaiʻi's biosecurity system is our first line of defense against invasive species that threaten our native ecosystems, food supply and way of life. Transitioning to digital also means we can respond in real time.”
She said there are plans for more languages to be added.
As of this week, more than 250,000 forms have been distributed on select routes, and about 75% of those who received the digital forms filled them out — better than the historic 60% compliance rate with the paper forms.
That’s a promising sign, as the forms are mandatory to fill out and help the state screen for potential invasive species.
The pilot program finishes at the end of the month, but Luke said digital forms will be distributed on flights until the end of the year.
She also said the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism is developing a digital “tourism experience survey” to distribute to travelers.
The paper declaration forms also include a tourism questionnaire that provides the state with tourism data. There were some worries that tourism data would be lost if the paper declaration forms were gone, too.
The state Legislature passed a law in 2024 to allow the process to become completely electronic.
