Speed up implementation of biometrics technology to secure borders: WTTC

According to Gloria Guevara Manzo, president and CEO of the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), the implementation of biometrics technology to facilitate secure borders is the single biggest opportunity for the travel and tourism sector in 2018.

“Biometric technology has been evolving over many years and we have seen gradual implementation across the sector for some time,” explained Guevara. “However, in order for the step change which needs to happen to improve security and create jobs through increased tourism flows, there is an urgent need to speed up implementation.

“The resolution of the UN Security Council at the end of 2017 which mandates all governments to employ biometric security for counter terrorism activity provides an excellent opportunity for all stakeholders to come together. In line with the work ICAO has been doing over many years, the Travel and Tourism sector needs to work with governments and security agencies to agree a standard approach which can be deployed across the Travel and Tourism system.”

Guevara continued, “This will take a huge effort of collaboration with considerable challenges to be overcome, particularly around the security and sharing of data, and privacy issues. However, I believe that now is the time to come together so that, while ensuring our world is secure, people around the world can continue to enjoy the personal, social and economic benefits of travelling.”

This past summer, Joey Pritikin of Tascent wrote a guest post for Biometric Update that discussed how usability in design matters when it comes to making biometrics a comfortable and everyday part of travel.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  border security  |  counter-terrorism  |  identity verification  |  travel and tourism  |  WTTC