Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1245222
15 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 10 MAY 2020 NEWS NEWS biggest headache for operators trying to look ahead he said. Tonna said that even if a medical vaccine is found to- wards the end of summer, the problems won't just stop there. "If a vaccine is found around September as some reports have suggested, it will be even harder to recover in winter," he said. Despite the uncertainty brought about by the virus, travel agencies are making the best of the situation and using the down-time to shake up the way their businesses function. Farrugia said that Britannia Tours are carrying out surveys to identify the needs of their customers. Better investment in online systems have also been introduced by the com- pany during the pandemic. "In the next few months we have to think in a different way. It is also a great way to reinvent the way we operate," he said. Farrugia predicted a change in consumer patterns, echo- ing Iain Tonna's views that in the short-term, there might be a change in customer demo- graphics. "People who prefer to travel with operators, will continue to prefer operators. Now, given the circumstanc- es, people who used to prefer traveling alone, might opt to take the easiest and most trust- worthy choice of going abroad with tour operators," he said. Nationalist MP and hotelier Robert Arrigo said that if gov- ernment gets it right, a return to normality for tour opera- tors will only be possible in 2022. "If we don't get it right in terms of having a long-term vi- sion in the way we respond to medical and economic issues, we stand to lose everything we have achieved so far," Arrigo said. He has called on government to strengthen their support towards tour operators, say- ing they have been among the worst hit by the pandemic. "The fear of the unknown will make you take a step back, or even close down, and govern- ment must assure operators that it is there to help them out," he said. "The more you care about health, the more you have to help out industries financial- ly," he said. kazzopardi@mediatoday.com.mt EVEN if borders reopen, travel- lers will have to trust that board- ing a plane is safe and that they will be able to enter the desti- nation country, says the World Economic Forum, which predicts new health safety protocols for travellers. But that could also mean greater use of digital identity and biome- tric technologies, which instantly conjure the threat of an intrusion of privacy, as well as problems with data governance. Here are two key areas of trans- formation in which digital tech- nologies will shape the future of travel. Touchless travel The most immediate and per- haps most visible change will be a shift to touchless travel from air- port curb-side to hotel check-in. Even with strict cleaning pro- tocols in place, exchanging travel documents and touching sur- faces through check-in, securi- ty, border control, and boarding still represent a significant risk of infection for both travellers and staff. Automation across the entire sector will become the new norm. Biometrics are already a widely accepted solu- tion for identity ver- ification, and their use will become more widespread as physical finger- print and hand scanners are phased out. More touchless op- tions will come into play includ- ing contactless fingerprint, as well as iris and face recognition. Moreover, technology for touchless data-entry such as ges- ture control, touchless document scanning and voice commands are already being tested. Care must be taken to ensure these technologies are inclusive and to eliminate the risk of potential biases. Digital health passports From now on, health could be embedded in every aspect of travel. According to a survey by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), measures such as visible sanitising, screen- ing and masks all increase pas- sengers' feelings of safety when thinking about travelling after COVID-19. To date, there is no standard or agreement on the acceptable lev- el of risk for reopening borders or allowing individuals to trav- el. Until a vaccine is developed, the focus is shifting to assessing the risk of individual passengers. With the passenger's consent, travel companies and airlines could use personal data such as their age, underlying health con- ditions and travel history to com- pile an individual risk profile. Efforts to develop health pro- tocols and standards using dig- ital technology for the travel and tourism industry are still in their initial stages. Emirates are conducting on-site COVID-19 testing for passengers. European airports have begun drawing up industry guidelines for passen- ger health screening. While not new, the use of thermal cam- eras at airports is be- coming more wide- spread. A number of s y m p t o m - t r a c k i n g and contact-tracing apps now exist in many countries. Apple and Google are close to fi- nalising a contact-tracing software scheme for devel- opers to build com- patible apps. We will travel again, but it will not be the same Biometrics are already a widely accepted solution for identity verification, and their use will become more widespread as physical fingerprint and hand scanners are phased out