In a study paid by Amadeus and made by Censuswide, it was discovered that 91% of travelers are comfortable using a digital COVID passport. The survey made use of 9,055 respondents from different parts of the world. Travelers are from France, India, UAE, the US, the UK, Singapore, Russia, Spain, and Germany.
This isn’t the only thing that is interesting with this study. It was also discovered that 41% are looking to book an international flight within the next six weeks once restrictions are lifted.
Digital COVID Passport Concerns
As the COVID vaccination roll-out kicks off, the travel industry urges having a unified COVID passport. The European Union is currently working to have a unified digital health passport for the entire region. The same goes for the US. The first digital COVID passport in the US is from New York. The Excelsior Pass contains the vaccination status and test results of an individual. The digital COVID passport helped businesses and venues to open safely in New York.
However, some don’t support having a digital health passport. Texas and Florida are two states that opposed having a mandated COVID passport.
According to the study, though most are comfortable using a digital COVID passport, 93% are concerned about their health data. Only 74% are willing to store their travel health data electronically. However, digitizing data would’ve made it easier for airport personnel to check traveler information. On the other hand, most are willing to compromise in exchange for access to different destinations. 74% are willing to have their data stored electronically if it means traveling to more destinations.
The study squeezed three main concerns that could come in handy in developing a COVID passport. One, you have security risks and the possibility of personal info getting hacked. Next, travelers are concerned about their privacy and health information that will be shared. And lastly, there is the lack of transparency and control as to what info can be shared.
With an uptick in travel demand and millions of people vaccinated daily, these are important points that should be considered.