Biometric technology will reinvent the industry and drive transformational growth.
NEW YORK, NY – The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), which represents the global Travel & Tourism private sector, released a new survey that found that eight out of 10 Americans boarding domestic or international flights are willing to submit biometric data to enhance their travel experience.
As part of WTTC’s work on the Seamless Traveller Journey (STJ), the organisation conducted the survey in order to further understand consumers’ willingness to share their electronic photograph with governments and travel companies, in advance of their international travel.
Key Findings include:
- 81% of Americans who travel internationally and 79% who travel domestically are willing to share biometric data in order to speed up their traveller journey
- Eight in 10 of US travellers say that they are willing to provide a photo to organisations that might require seeing a passport or photo ID in advance of travelling
- 25-34 year olds are both among the largest travelling group and most willing to share biometric data (87%)
Gloria Guevara, President & CEO, WTTC said: “According to our survey, more than 80% of travellers would use their faces to effectively replace their IDs, their boarding passes and even their passports. From booking to destination city, biometric technology will transform the way we travel – creating a safe and seamless experience.”
Yesterday, WTTC convened at the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium for a critical workshop, bringing together public and private sectors with technology providers to agree on models which are globally interoperable, technology neutral and cover the end-to-end journey in an effort to advance the vision of a Seamless Traveller Journey. Findings of the EU-driven biometrics survey were also released at this event.
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales.
She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
