Grounded for more than a year by the health crisis, the French are looking for the key that will enable them to travel again for business or pleasure. And the digital health passport now seems to embody this solution for lifting restrictions on international travel, as shown by the initiatives springing up around the worldincluding in France. Amadeus surveyed the French market at the end of February, as well as Germany, Spain, the United Arab Emirates, Russia, India, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the United States.
More than 9,000 participants responded to the survey, which focused on people who had travelled abroad in the last 18 months. According to the report, a large majority of French travellers (81%) are "inclined to use digital health passports to facilitate the resumption of travel". 65% of those surveyed in France said they would be prepared to store their health data electronically when travelling if this would enable them to get through the airport more quickly with fewer face-to-face interactions. An equivalent proportion of passengers (64%) see it as a way of getting to more destinations59% of respondents mentioned the possibility ofspeed up the recovery of air mobility. The initiatives developed by a growing number of carriers seem to be heading in the right direction, with the Amadeus study indicating that travellers would feel comfortable (52%) with the idea of sharing their health data if their usual airline offered a means of storing it.
rebuilding the journey better than before
" Even if there are still uncertainties, studies like this one reinforce my optimism that we will rebuild the journey better than before" says Decius Valmorbida, President, Travel, Amadeus. " Collaboration between governments and our industry is key to rebooting travel, as we meet travellers' expectations outlined in this 'Rebuild Travel' digital health survey, by deploying the right technology to enable truly connected and contactless travel ".
Nevertheless, those involved in the dossier will of course have to pay particular attention to data confidentiality, as was recently pointed out by a Another study, published by BCD Travel. Unsurprisingly, the main concern of French travellers is the protection of this sensitive information (38%), faced with the threat of the cyber security (34%). Hackers are not the only people travellers are wary of: 29% of them mention access to this information by public authorities.
La trust This is the key to converting travellers to these new tools, and of course to encouraging them to return to the airport. According to the Amadeus study, access to reliable, up-to-date information is crucial. Mobile applications providing notifications and alerts during the journey are most often cited (37%) to reassure travellers and encourage them to fly over the next twelve months. It should also be noted that the investments made by airlines and airports in contactless travel are a step in the right direction. Mobile boarding is in second place (32%), ahead of automated cleaning processes (31%).
" This study once again highlights the key role that technology will play in rebuilding travel "says Christophe Bousquet, CTO of Amadeus. " We have seen an evolution since our last survey, with travellers now placing more importance on mobile and contactless technologies, key areas that will clearly boost travellers' confidence. It is also very significant to see that travellers are open to digital health passports and the sharing of their data during their journey, once the right security guarantees are in place." continues Christophe Bousquet.
