January 26 - The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and Oliver Wyman present the Safe & Seamless Traveller Journey webinar, taking place on Thursday 28 January.

 

The webinar will look at how the Travel & Tourism sector continues to confront the effects of COVID-19 pandemic and restart global travel, through significant strides in the use of contactless biometric technology, as well as the role of digital traveller identity across the traveller journey.

 

The WTTC program looks toward a future where travellers will not need to provide the same information or documents multiple times. Instead, their experience will be seamless, fast, and more enjoyable throughout their entire journey.

 

The pandemic has depressed travel severely, but there remains an expectation that the Travel & Tourism sector is moving forward to provide, through advanced technology, a more convenient and seamless experience. Biometrics provide a speedier trip through the airport - although physical distancing of 6 feet between people has become necessary, space limitations become less problematic when travellers move through them at a quicker pace.

 

The panel will kick off with keynote speeches from Gloria Guevara, President & CEO, WTTC; and Olivier Onidi, Deputy Director, General European Commission. This will be followed by the first session: Digital Identity and the Traveller Experience, which will include among key industry figures, Diane Sabatino, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP); Luca Pronzati, Chief Business Innovation Officer, MSC Cruises; and Chris McLaughlin, COO Denver Airport.

 

This session will focus on the end-to-end traveller experience, and how traveller information has become increasingly digital.

 

This will be followed by session two: The enablers of Seamless travel. This panel will feature the industry leaders Kevin McAleenan, Former Acting Secretary, Department of Homeland Security, Greg Land, Head of Aviation & Hospitality, IBM Travel and Sean Oxley, Director of Innovation, United Airlines, among others.

 

Sessions will be moderated by Scot Hornick, Partner, Transportation & Travel, Oliver Wyman.

 

This session will discuss how biometrics will play a critical role in the resumption of travel and restoration of its economic benefits, as well as the needed public/private sector collaboration to make the traveller digital profile a reality, including the increasingly important health certificate (e.g., vaccine records).

 

Gloria Guevara said: “We are delighted to be hosting this virtual panel event on this critical topic surrounding technology and biometrics and the future of Travel & Tourism. We thank Oliver Wyman for partnering with us to help make this event a possibility.

 

“This is an important conversation at a critical time for our sector. Over the past year millions of jobs from every corner of the globe, supported by Travel & Tourism have been put at risk, and we must adapt to the new normal if we wish to continue to see a thriving sector, and the future is a Safe and Seamless Traveller Journey."

 

Scot Hornick, Oliver Wyman, said: “WTTC’s Safe and Seamless Traveller Journey represents a unique opportunity for the travel industry to use biometric and digital identity technology to not only assist in the industry’s recovery from COVID-19, but break the silos which have historically existed across travel sectors."

 

Miguel Leitmann, CEO Vision-Box, said: “The need for touchless identity management and seamless passenger flow management is the new reality. As air travel dynamics have evolved under the covid-19 pandemic, the importance of a safe contactless passenger experience is paramount to the industry’s revival."

 

To join the webinar on Thursday 28 January at 09:00 EST / 14:00 GMT please register here.

 

 

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