About 76 percent of U.S. travelers would be willing to store their travel health data electronically if doing so enabled them to travel sooner, according to a new survey by travel technology firm Amadeus. About 80 percent would be willing if doing so enabled them to pass through the airport faster with fewer face-to-face interactions, and 75 percent if it enabled them to travel to more destinations.
Amadeus' survey was conducted Feb. 18-26 across nine countries, including Germany, Russia, United Arab Emirates, France, India, Singapore and the United States. Participants traveled abroad in the last 18 months, with at least 1,000 respondents per country.
About 51 percent of U.S. business travelers surveyed would be more comfortable using a digital health passport that was accepted by most countries and was regulated by international standards. About 48 percent of U.S. travelers said they would be comfortable with a digital passport if data only specific to Covid-19 was included and if they were traveling with a trusted travel agency.
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Nearly three-quarters of U.S. travelers said they would be more likely to store health data on an app from a travel agency partnered with a trusted healthcare company. About 40 percent and 36 percent of business travelers stated a preference for using mobile apps to provide on-trip notifications and alerts and facial technology, respectively.
About 58 percent of U.S. travelers are confident in providing health data for travel purposes and 50 percent for booking and checking in at a hotel, which was higher than the 40 percent that reported being confident in providing health data for working or 37 percent for visiting a restaurant or bar.
Nearly half of U.S travelers were comfortable using biometric facial recognition technology at boarding gates, 49 percent for hotel check-ins, 34 percent for conferences and events and 34 percent for excursions.