Amadeus Reveals the Technologies that will Increase Confidence to Travel

Technology and innovation will be key in building traveler confidence and industry recovery in the next 12 months, according to a recent study by Amadeus, a leading provider of cutting-edge technology solutions for the travel and tourism industry.

The research is the third in a series of surveys, where Amadeus takes a regular checkpoint on traveler sentiment and concerns to help the industry rebuild travel in the most effective way. Both the Rethink Travel survey (September 2020) and Rebuild Travel Digital Health survey (February 2021) revealed how technology can help increase traveler confidence and Amadeus revisited this question to see how traveler confidence has changed since September 2020.

According to Amadeus’ latest survey, the vast majority of travelers – 97 percent – believe technology will increase their confidence to travel. This is up from 91 percent in February 2021 and 84 percent in September 2020.

When asked which technology would increase confidence to travel in the next 12 months, mobile solutions continue to be the most popular, with the top technologies including:

These are followed by apps to store digital health data on devices (39 percent), different methods of payment (35 percent), self-scanning luggage (35 percent) and facial recognition technology (30 percent).

Mobile applications and contactless technology have remained top technologies across all three studies, with the addition of automated and flexible cancellation policies in this final installment.

When asked about the receptiveness to share personal health data, the survey results show:

– 93 percent of travelers would be willing to provide personal data for the effective use of digital health passports or certificates, a slight increase from 91 percent in February 2021

– almost half (48 percent) of business travelers would be willing to provide their health data to visit a conference or event, while 36 percent of leisure travelers would be willing to provide the info for an excursion or activity at a destination.

When considering the future of travel and sustainability, the survey highlighted what solutions travelers believe might help the industry to become more sustainable long-term:

– nearly half (46 percent) of travelers said greater availability of green modes of transport, e.g., electric planes or trains

– a similar percentage (44 percent) believe making sustainable travel more cost effective would be beneficial

– 41 percent say transparency around travel companies’ sustainability policies would help.

Although receptiveness to travel in the next year is high, the travel industry needs to consider how to respond to changing traveler concerns as the travel environment continues to adapt.

The three main concerns travelers have are:

– Fears of catching COVID-19 while traveling (41 percent)

– Self-isolation or quarantine before and after travel (41 percent)

– Changing restrictions resulting in last minute cancellations (37 percent).

In comparison to the previous studies, fears of catching the virus maintain a top concern for travelers, alongside self-isolation, or quarantine.

The survey was conducted among 9,074 consumers across France, Germany, India, Spain, Russia, Singapore, the UAE, the UK, and the US.

Other key findings include:

• The appetite to travel is high

Looking ahead to the next year, over three quarters (77 percent) of travelers surveyed agree that they are eager to travel and hope to do so in the next year.

Half (50 percent) agree that they will be traveling for business to a destination requiring a flight later this year.

• The impact of travel restrictions and guidelines

Less than 2 in 5 (38 percent) travelers surveyed agree that the current international restrictions and guidelines around where and how to travel are clear – making it easy for them to book and travel for business/ leisure.

On the contrary, 35 percent agree that the current international restrictions and guidelines around where and how to travel are confusing and unclear – making them less likely to book and travel for business/ leisure and a further 27 percent agree they will not be traveling internationally due to the unclear guidance around restrictions.