During the COVID-19 pandemic, the travel and shared living sectors were some of the hardest-hit sectors of the economy today. As governments implemented travel restrictions, physical distancing, and limited social gathering mandates, it has resulted in airlines, hotels, and room sharing providers being forced to run at limited capacity or close until the protocols were lifted.
These changes have also influenced modern consumer behavior, emphasizing the need for a seamless user experience and data safety while using online platforms. Today, travelers have considered local destinations as many countries have closed their borders or limited people’s entry to lessen the spread of COVID-19.
Some emerging travel trends include travel pods that allow group travelers to minimize health risks during these times. Sharing economy platforms also saw a boom as local travel destinations became more prominent. However, financial and physical safety are some of the top considerations for using sharing economy platforms. Customers want to be assured that the service provider they are using will not cause them financial harm or endanger their lives. Conversely, service providers want to ensure that clients will not defraud their business.
Therefore, sharing economy platforms must conduct adequate identity verification checks to ensure that the users are legitimate. Still, weak cybersecurity systems can make it easy for criminals to impact these services on traveling negatively. Knowledge-based authentication (KBA) like passwords and security questions are a weak defense against data breaches as criminals can easily obtain this information.
As the world continues to adopt new practices during the pandemic, business operation changes are likely to stay in the long run. Furthermore, enterprises should consider new identity proofing solutions that can help ensure and confirm a person’s claimed identity.
For more information about the need for identity certainty in travel in a post-COVID-19 world, here is an infographic.
Infographic Source: https://authid.ai/blog/the-need-for-identity-certainty-in-travel-in-a-post-covid-world