Analyst firm Acuity Market Intelligence’s The Prism Project reports that the market for biometric digital identity in travel is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 92% and generate over $72 billion dollars globally by 2028. We take a look at key points from the report, how the industry is growing, and the next steps with decentralization.
By Tim Spring
Biometrics and digital identity
As travelers increasingly expect to be able to do almost anything from the comfort of their home and the convenience of their smartphones, biometrics and digital identity are central to meeting these expectations of seamless digital travel.
To make this seamless world a reality requires a single digital identity that will work across platforms and unify the traveler’s journey from airport to destination and back again — and be capable of integrating ancillary travel and tourist services.
In a way, the technology goal is similar to how it is possible to login to different websites using a federated identity, such as a Google account. But it differs in two important aspects: One, this digital identity is derived from government systems of record, such as a passport, and not a third-party identity provider; and two, you control and store this identity and the personal data associated with it, and not a third-party identity provider.
These features are critical for privacy and privacy compliance (the traveler always has the power of consent to sharing data) and security (removing the centralized storage of personal data, especially biometric data, removes the risk of mass data breaches, identity fraud, and catastrophic loss of trust).
The emergence of technology solutions that meet these requirements is explored in the new 2024 Biometric Digital Identity Travel and Hospitality Prism Report from Acuity Market Intelligence. The report, which first launched in 2023, analyzes the state of the solution market and sets out an evaluative framework for what is working best to deliver seamless travel. In sum, it is technology that “puts human beings first,” namely:
- Digital identity belongs to the user it describes.
- True ID empowerment relies on government systems of record.
- Identity must be consistently and continuously orchestrated to remain secure.
- Biometrics must be at the core of any sustainable digital identity ecosystem.
“By investing in biometric digital identity solutions like those identified in [the report], travel and hospitality stakeholders will find measurable benefits—from improved guest flow, to bulletproof compliance, to secure loyalty programs. But beyond the immediately tangible results, participating in the biometric digital identity ecosystem has a wider, global effect.”
The report highlights the work of Indicio and its partner SITA, for developing solutions that “masterfully deploy biometric guest experiences around the globe.”
Indicio and SITA created the first successfully deployed Digital Travel Credential for seamless border crossing. By using Verifiable Credential technology, travelers were able to turn their passports into “government-grade” digital identities for instant, frictionless, authentication. A key feature of the Indicio-SITA credential solution is the ability to bind the biometrics in a passport to the rightful owner of that passport. This, in effect, created a two-factor biometric authentication without the need for airports or airlines to store biometric data.
To learn more about “bring your own biometrics,” and how Verifiable Credentials enable seamless data sharing, contact us for a demo — or book a free workshop where we’ll analyze your use case.
