The European Digital Identity (EUDI) Wallet has been gaining traction as members states across Europe implement the eIDAS 2.0 regulation.
By the end of 2026, countries must provide an EUDI Wallet to citizens, enabling them to store and share credentials such as drivers' licenses.
Despite the deadline, familiarity with the EU Wallet remains quite low, with 15% to 18% of travelers across the U.K., France and Germany familiar or very familiar with it, according to Phocuswright research.
The initiative was discussed at Phocuswright Europe 2026 during a panel session with executives from Visit Benidorm Foundation and digital identity specialist Sicpa.
Panelists shared their expectations on the current take-up of the technology and hopes for future adoption.
Leire Bilbao, general manager of Visit Benidorm, said that the technology won't take long to be adopted once the commission shares more information later this year.
"People are used to doing it in another way, and now it will be a new wallet, a public wallet and that will be the key," she said.
Laurent Loup, Sicpa's market sector senior manager for identity, agreed and added that much of the groundwork has been done but other elements still need to be put in place before the "whole ecosystem can be live."
The discussion also touched on the experience of hotels in Spain implementing the technology, wallet pilots in other industry segments and whether the EU tech competes or complements the big tech wallets from Google and Apple.
See below for the full session moderated by Phocuswright's Mike Coletta.
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