Blockchain in the Tourism Industry: See the World in a New Way
Introduction
COVID-19, a dangerous and fatal virus, came from China. It was the first country to enforce strict quarantine measures and limit citizens’ movement. Many states prohibited Chinese nationals from entering their territories to minimize the spread of the pandemic disease. The tourism market was devastated by crisis and upheaval.
Let’s face it: every ninth travel enthusiast in the world is from China. Twenty percent of tourism revenue is derived from Chinese guests, and the outbound tourism market was among the fastest-growing sectors in China until 2020.
The question that plays over and over in everyone’s mind is how global tourism can recover during the stay-at-home orders.
Battle Against the Coronavirus
We have already observed the attempts to combat the spread of the coronavirus. But people are still going out and staying in contact with one another despite orders to isolate themselves. Sometimes, fines and other restrictive measures are not the answer. Therefore, many countries have developed special applications that allow the authorities to that not only monitor whether the phone’s owner has left the house but also identify potential carriers of the coronavirus.
Apps are the most widely used method to identify potential carriers of the disease now. However, to make this measure even more effective, Apple and Google have teamed up to create a tracking system for iOS and Android. Yesterday’s enemies are today’s friends, right?
People infected with COVID-19 will notify a public health app, which will then alert phones that have recently been near the infected person’s device. In theory, everything works perfectly, and the world looks like something out of an American science-fiction film. The tech giants want to make sure that iOS and Android devices can exchange data by using Low Energy Bluetooth. A specially designed system remembers which devices your phone was near, building a kind of “contact map.” The app uses Bluetooth technology to trace every phone a person comes in contact with, raising concerns over privacy.
Problem-Solving Innovation
In the early days of restrictive social distancing measures caused by the rapid spread of the disease, people were confident that any economic or social restriction would be temporary. However, as the coronavirus pandemic grew around the globe, many governments became less confident in easing restrictions in the near future. Under the circumstances, we can use blockchain technology to create private, consumer-controlled “immunity passports” that will allow customers and businesses to feel more comfortable.
The blockchain is consistently touted as the eighth wonder of the world. It has become a revolution that can change our view of many areas. Transparency, information accuracy, and other fine attributes allow blockchain technology to make the world a better place to live in. One of the main applications of this breakthrough technology relates to the field of tourism.
The COVID-19 Credentials Initiative (CCI) brings together more than 60 companies and nonprofit organizations from different countries, and it is working on digital certificates for recovered coronavirus patients. According to the researchers, the “immunity passport” will help people with a certain type of immunity return to everyday life. It will also make a significant contribution to the fight against the spread of the coronavirus while not infringing upon user privacy.
Privacy Is of the Utmost Importance in the Blockchain
The certificates will probably be based on blockchain technology and the Verifiable Credentials standard recently approved by the World Wide Web Consortium. The standard outlines the issuance and verification of any information and documentation in the digital format that is cryptographically confirmed and published on the blockchain. With the help of such certificates, people will be able to prove they have recovered from the disease and tested positive for antibodies. In the future, patients immunized against the coronavirus will also get the certificate.
According to the CCI’s plan, health facilities will be responsible for issuing certificates. However, the patients will exercise control over their certificates. The entire system will work on the P2P (peer-to-peer) principle. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates spoke earlier in support of the need to create digital certificates revealing who has recovered from COVID-19.
The authorities in various countries have started “spying” on their citizens. They have had to resort to these extraordinary measures to combat the coronavirus pandemic. Some of them have forgotten about the rights and freedoms of their citizens, using all technological potential to track their every step. As a result, user privacy has been threatened. The use of revolutionary technology can help maintain confidentiality.
“The technology we create is people-centered. That’s the exact opposite of the surveillance-oriented solutions that we observe in places such as China. State-oriented approaches can have serious implications for our privacy,” explained Jamie Smith, the strategic engagement director of Evernym.
Awareness of a safe environment in a post-coronavirus world will play an equally important role as job loss. An immunity passport will be the solution to epidemiological problems in many industries. At the same time, there are no similarities between the introduction of a digital passport and QR codes to control of the coronavirus in China. The key difference here is the right to choose. Users can access their medical records through a blockchain transaction and then choose which businesses they want to share the information with.
Concluding Thoughts
Many countries are doing some reckless things to fight the coronavirus. Such methods often involve human rights violations and are sometimes directly dependent on mass surveillance activities. They often do what feels right, but that doesn’t mean they understand why it feels right.
Luckily, data privacy and the blockchain go hand in hand. Blockchain technology and the tourism industry can become a successful combination because the technology provides greater security and privacy.
