Contactless Technologies Helping to Build Confidence with Travellers

The ongoing global COVID19 pandemic has brought the travel and tourism industry to a near standstill with prolonged lockdowns, restrictions and obstacles.

Now that government authorities in several countries have started to relax air travel restrictions, airports and hotels are trying to re-build confidence in travelers and contactless technologies are proving to be a game changer.

Sneha Nigade, Disruptive Tech Analyst at GlobalData, said, “The COVID19 pandemic became a wakeup call for the travel and tourism industry to accelerate investments in contactless technologies like biometric check-in at airports and keyless hotel entry, which significantly reduce potential risks associated with physical touchpoints.”

The Innovation Explorer database of GlobalData’s Disruptor Intelligence Center reveals how travel and tourism companies are using contactless technologies to ensure the safety and wellbeing of passengers, especially in transportation and lodging.

Biometric Boarding: Beijing Capital International Airport has partnered with Swiss tech company SITA to automate entire passenger journey using biometric technologies. From the airport check-in and bag drop to security clearance and final boarding, passengers can just walk through the designated lanes equipped with facial recognition systems.

Contactless Check-In: Singapore’s Changi Airport has deployed contactless kiosks to automate the check-in process for passengers. The kiosks are integrated with infrared proximity sensors, which can identify the motion of a passenger’s finger as they point towards the options on the screen.

Contactless Elevators: Abu Dhabi International Airport has partnered with UAE tech startup Meta Touch to install touchless elevator panel technology. The control panel, installed in 53 elevators at the airport, can be controlled by gestures, allowing people to command an elevator without physically pressing any buttons.

Contactless Hospitality: Dutch hotel chain citizenM has launched a smart mobile application to offer customers contactless stays at its hotels. The app helps guests to check-in and out digitally. Guests can also control lights, blinds and temperature inside their rooms using a smartphone.

Contactless Journey: At Hamad International Airport in Doha, passengers can now use biometric-enabled check-in kiosks to take their photo and scan their passport and boarding pass. This digital identity record makes the passenger’s face their pass at key airport touchpoints, such as self-service bag-drop, pre-immigration, and self-boarding gates.

Disinfection Robots: Hong Kong International Airport has deployed intelligent sterilization robot to rapidly disinfect passenger facilities and public areas. The autonomous robot, equipped with ultraviolet lights and an air sterilizer, can sterilize its surroundings in 10 minutes with 99.99% accuracy.

Contactless Water: Even before the world knew about COVID19, Suvarnabhumi Airport near Bangkok, Thailand had already started installing contactless water dispensers at gates and throughout the airport as part of its commitment to safeguarding passenger wellbeing. They are free to use and are popular with passengers looking to refill their water bottles and flasks.

Other key use cases of contactless technologies promoting safety in the industry include thermal screening, automated hand sanitizers, water dispensers (pictured), mobile apps enabling touchless entry to tourist destinations and contactless payments.

“Contatcless technologies are empowering enterprises to recover from the COVID19 crisis by digitizing the end-to-end journey for travelers. However, biometric technologies raise concerns around personal data being collected and shared, which heightens security risks in the future. The future of travel in the post-COVID19 world will be increasingly contactless to advocate safety, not only for passengers but also employees in the industry,” added Ms Nigade.

See also: Airports, Air Travel and COVID19 - Exclusive Interview with SITA's President of Asia Pacific, Sumesh Patel

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