Touchless Tourism: How New Tourism Will Look like

Tourism is part of a normal life in almost all societies. During the coronavirus crisis, tourism was highly endangered, and the exact timeline of its recovery is unclear. The sector is facing a gradual return to travel, and, as to ensure a health safety regime, there are many initiatives to develop new protocols and standards using digital technology. A shift from traditional tourism to touchless travel by applying automation across the entire journey – from airport to hotel – can control the risk of infection for travellers and staff. Our study aims to summarize best practices in the use of digital technologies for a safer journey in a COVID-19 world. In this regard, we conducted a literature review of published academic research studies, media sources and public reports to collect the necessary information for the study. The research findings show that efforts of using technology for tourism industry are still at an early stage. Biometrics, contactless fingerprint, iris and face recognition, gesture control, touchless document scanning and voice command are seen as the keys to touchless travel. The world’s best-known companies are working to complete a contact-tracing app to slow the spread of the disease. The World Economic Forum’s initiative assesses a person’s risk profile and allows the authorities to operate the journey in advance and avoid queuing. At present, it is too early to say if these initiatives are efficient, and future studies need to explore if touchless tourism can ensure a pleasant, efficient and safe journey.