Advancements in technology have changed the world of travel and tourism – and biometrics are playing a major role in making life easier for everyone, especially travelers. Biometric authentication, such as fingerprinting, iris scanning, and facial recognition, are making travel secure and faster.
This is true in nearly all areas of tourism, especially the hospitality industry. A survey by Oracle found that 62% of consumers agreed that biometric technology would improve their travel experiences. Moreover, 41% stated they would visit hotels if they utilized biometrics and facial recognition.
Did you know that the probability of finding two people with the same fingerprint is 1 in 64 billion?
What Makes Biometric Technologies So Useful?
Did you know that over 50,000 personal data breaches occur every year? Over 100,000 cases of identity theft and data breaches occur every year. These are sobering statistics that paint a grim picture of the tourism sector. It doesn’t help that many of these crimes often go unreported.
This is one area where biometric authentication can come in handy. By offering the highest levels of security, biometric authentication can reduce the chances of data beach. Using this technology in hotels and resorts wouldn’t just make traveling more convenient for users but also make it safer and more efficient.
It’s Hygienic
Biometric technologies can also eliminate or at least minimize the number of contact points when interacting with services. Thanks to their ability to quickly and accurately identify guests, biometric technologies can be used to implement health promotion strategies that will ensure a safer environment for everyone, including guests and the hotel staff.
You don’t need physical documents or an ID, all of which can reduce the risk of contamination and speed up the process of checking in. This way, you can enjoy your vacation time to its fullest without worrying about cross-contamination.
No More Documentation
Some airports have already rolled out biometric technology to identify travelers without requiring them to show documentation such as passports, which could cause delays. This is usually done with facial recognition and fingerprinting, making the passenger journey faster through checkpoints by a significant percentage.
Contrast this with what airport checkpoints usually require to prove your identity:
- Asking for your driver’s license or passport
- Asking for your social security or address
All of this can result in several minutes of hold up and waiting times that could be better used for traveling. By comparison, simply using your fingerprint or iris can be used to confirm your identity in the span of a few seconds, allowing you to seamlessly pass through security checkpoints.
Hotels can also use facial recognition for check-in by scanning the IDs of guests, having their photos taken, and entering their details into a seamless, automated system. Their booking is quickly confirmed, and room keys are dispensed, reducing the check-in time from a few minutes to a few seconds.
Personalization
Biometric authentication can also offer personalized and secure customer service to travelers. By using various biometric identifiers and matching them with a connected, unified database, hotels, and airliners can identify their clients quickly and offer tailored services to them.
For example, hotels can offer guests the option to photograph themselves during the booking process. Once identified by the camera, the hotel staff can greet the guest by them and use their past booking information to ensure they get more personalized service.
Heaters in hotel rooms can automatically set themselves to their guest’s preferred temperature, and beverages and airline meals of choice can be preordered. This does require users to configure these things beforehand.
The next evolution of biometric technology will use AI and machine learning to monitor biometric indicators such as blink rate and heart rate. For example, a camera monitor in your car could monitor your eye movements while the AI studies it for signs of irresponsible driving. This could be used to significantly improve safety behind the wheels and drastically reduce the likelihood of accidents.
The Ethical Use of Biometric Data
The big elephant in the room, of course, is the risk of a privacy violation for individuals.
Public opinion around data collection is at an all-time low as scathing reports of privacy violations are making the rounds lately, implicating names like Amazon and Tesla. The onus is on biometric organizations to ensure that their actions don’t harm people. Businesses and security professionals must maintain respect for both the person and their collected data.
Regulatory bodies must work with policymakers to develop laws and regulations that facilitate appropriate oversight and accountability. Businesses that collect such data must maintain transparency and communicate with clients about what they plan on doing with their data:
- What is the data going to be used for
- Who will it be shared with
- How long the data will be retained
- And the process of requesting data deletion
Efforts must also be made to secure the data by maintaining a strong cybersecurity posture. Strong penalties and even prison time should be discussed for executives found to be taking cybersecurity lightly, especially if their business collects biometric data.
The World is Embracing Biometric Technology
While biometric technology may seem like an invasion of privacy at first, it could streamline traveling in an increasingly digitized world. Imagine seamlessly passing through airport security checkpoints with nothing but your biological practice because they are the only source of authentication you will ever need.
Rather than treating it as an invasion of privacy with biometric technology, life as a digital nomad can become easier, safer, and more convenient. Although investing in biometric technology may appear to be expensive at first, the long-term benefits more than justify the upfront investment. It is hard to argue against the convenience and security of biometrics; for one, you can’t really forget to bring your eyeball with you or leave your fingerprint at home.
What are your views on integrating biometric technology in travel and tourism? Have you spotted any of the new biometric technologies being used during your travels? Don’t forget to share your comments, views, and expenses with us.
