ITB Berlin: Amadeus Calls for Safe Ecosystems for Travelers

Photo source: ITB Berlin NOW

Travel technology provider Amadeus on Wednesday called for health information to be integrated in IT solutions to address global passenger health verification needs in the post-Covid-19 era.

Speaking at the virtual ITB Berlin NOW Convention, Monika Wiederhold from Amadeus underlined that – following the Covid-19 pandemic – travel would no longer be the same as before.

“We cannot go back to the way things were,” said Wiederhold, quoting WHO General Secretary Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at her introductory speech at the convention.

During her speech, Wiederhold called for the creation of secure eco-systems with the help of new technologies.

According to Wiederhold, “even when everything is allowed again” people will be hesitant to make travel plans.

“We have to instill trust in travelers again,” she said, adding that every country had its own answers to confronting Covid-19. “That means travelers are in a very complex situation,” she said and highlighted that employing standards could make things easier around the world and for travelling.

Amadeus: Addressing global passenger health verification needs with technology

Photo source: Amadeus

Wiederhold underlined that information has to be available in real time, which can be achieved with new technologies for contact-free interaction.

“Using biometric identification, it is not only airports where processes could be undertaken securely and rapidly. It could be done in hotels too,” she said.

Thus, health certificates could be integrated in data systems, thereby reducing the administrative load on tour operators. Travelers could easily prove they had the necessary health documents and decide for themselves when and where they wanted to supply digital proof of their health status. Airlines and airports could integrate the information in their own digital systems.

According to Wiederhold, strong partnerships that enable a flow of information would be necessary to achieve this.

“There is only one way to bring travel back, and that is together,” she said.

Monika Wiederhold is Amadeus’ Global Program Lead for Safe Travel Ecosystem, and EVP Airlines Central & Eastern Europe.

Traveler ID platform by Amadeus

Amadeus recently announced that it has added new capabilities to Traveler ID, a secure platform for its travel provider customers, that connects, digitizes and automates traveler identification and document validation across the traveler journey, while meeting regulatory requirements.

The Traveler ID platform connects the health certification touchpoints end-to-end, integrating multiple stakeholders involved in the process, providing a secure and frictionless way for passengers to show that they have the health documentation needed to travel.

The ITB Berlin NOW Convention took place as a virtual event this year in parallel with the ITB Berlin NOW travel and tourism trade show.