The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) is recommending global
guidelines related to traveler identity and security to stimulate demand in the
recovery from COVID-19 and to prepare the industry for future crises.
WTTC has prepared the report, Global
Guidelines for Safe & Seamless Traveller Journey, in partnership with
Oliver Wyman Consulting Group and with input from public and private contributors
including IATA, SITA, Amadeus and multiple airline, cruise and hospitality brands.
The report says it aims to assist the “establishment of globally
interoperable, technology-agnostic, biometric-enabled solutions, which cover
the end-to-end traveler journey from booking to trip completion.”
This would be done by creating a single digital identity for
each traveler, which would contain their biographic data as well as any necessary
additional information such as biometric data, loyalty information, credit card
details, travel history, proof of immunity or vaccine, etc.
Using biometric-enabled digital identities, the report
states, improves accuracy and eliminates the need for multiple manual
verifications, which the report says “reduces fraud and allows for the
movement of more travelers securely and efficiently through existing
infrastructure and easing resource requirements.”
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Travelers would be able to use their digital identity across
their entire journey and access to the data would be controlled by the
traveler.
“WTTC’s new report comes at a time when travel and tourism
is struggling to stay afloat. We believe that the Safe & Seamless Traveller
Journey will not only be paramount in aiding a swift recovery to the
sector, but also in shaping the new normal of travel and tourism for years to
come. This important initiative enables mobility and increases safety and
security, while always putting the passenger at the very center,” says Gloria
Guevara, WTTC president and CEO.
“There is no doubt that international coordination is
necessary, which is why our guidelines aim to bring clarity to a recovery
process that has been disjointed and confused. We hope that this, along with
our many other guidelines for Safe Travels, will help usher in further consumer
confidence.”
The report calls for the adoption of global data standards,
global health and safety protocols and collaboration among airlines, hotels,
rail, cruise and governments “to facilitate a consistent and safe travel
experience.”
“Multilateral collaboration is required to build a framework
for contactless travel that considers the entire traveler journey from door to
door making it safe and secure though advanced touchless technology,” says Luis
Maroto, president and CEO of Amadeus.
“This Safe & Seamless Traveller Journey initiative helps to develop clear testing and
tracing practices while leveraging contactless technologies enabling a
touchless environment and faster processing, which are key in restarting travel
safely.”
Says SITA CEO Barbara Dalibard: “SITA strongly supports
the move towards biometric-enabled identity solutions that allows travelers to
move securely and easily across every step in their journey while maintaining
control of their identity in a fully ethical manner. This is an approach we
have long advocated. The benefits of speed, safety and improved security are
significant. With the additional benefit of limiting touch and maintaining
distance, these digital identity solutions take on new relevance in the COVID
era.”