Paperless Travel Prototype Supports Border Security and Economic Growth

The Hilton story began nearly a century ago with a founder, Conrad Hilton, who believed in the power of spreading “world peace through international trade and travel.” At the time he opened his first hotel in 1919 in Cisco, Texas, global travel was expensive and reserved primarily for the elite. Last year alone, there were 1.3 billion international travelers from all walks of life, contributing $8 trillion to annual global GDP and fueling the creation of one in ten jobs worldwide.

This “Golden Age of Travel” is coinciding with another, bleaker trend – the tightening of borders in response to global security threats and the often well-intentioned, but blunt, policy responses that can result. In the United States, for example, we saw 1.7 million less people visit our country in the first six months of 2017. While many factors may have contributed to this decline, industry experts estimate a loss of $2.7 billion in related economic activity.

The economic case for travel is clear, but we can’t have travel without security. And without secure travel, we can’t maximize that potential to have a powerful positive impact, which Conrad Hilton identified so long ago. As Chairman of the Aviation, Travel and Tourism Governors of the World Economic Forum, I am pleased to report that we’re on the path to striking a balance between secure travel and open borders. During the past year, experts from the public safety, technology and global transportation sectors have come together to deploy the best in digitization, biometric verification and interoperability in order to improve border security and enable legitimate travel. 

Our recommended approach centers on the creation of a digital traveler identity and profile that are unique for every individual. The adoption of a single digital identity standard for international travel will allow governments to move away from expensive stand-alone screening systems and toward greater interoperability. This will make border security more cost-effective, accurate and efficient. This shared standard will, over time, permit paperless border crossings, verified by biometrics like facial recognition, which both improves security and the travel experience.

In this new world, travel will be both more seamless and more secure. If you choose to opt-in to this new digital identification and clearance process, your travel information can be shared with border security officials proactively. Once you arrive, your identity will be quickly and digitally verified so you can be on your way. The system would also allow for those who do not wish to participate to continue using a paper-based system.

Using this model, the World Economic Forum has developed a paperless international border crossing prototype and is exploring opportunities to test it in several airports over the next 12-24 months. We believe that such pilots will show that improved security and ease of legitimate travel are not mutually exclusive. We’ve already seen this firsthand at Hilton, where we have applied digitization to our guest experience with great success. Our guests can now use a smartphone to check into their hotels, select their room and use a digital key to enter. This is just the beginning as we continue to leverage technology to improve the guest experience.

The future is paperless and digital. Travelers and governments both want ease and security. With travel and tourism accounting for 300 million jobs in the world, more travel means stronger international economic growth. As the World Economic Forum embarks on this pilot phase, I encourage governments to watch closely. Together we can adopt and deploy interoperable digital solutions that will bring global travel into the modern era.