The promotion of good practice in seamless travel and improved traveller experience was identified as one of two pillars for the tourism agenda for the G20 in 2020, under the Presidency of Saudi Arabia. The subject was seen as highly important in enabling future growth in tourism while delivering various other benefits. During the year, the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic has further underlined the importance of the concept of seamless travel for economic recovery and global wellbeing.
For the purposes of this report, seamless travel is defined as "The provision of a smooth, efficient, safe, secure and enjoyable travel experience from a traveller’s point of origin to a destination, within the destination, and back again".
The enhancement of seamless travel can be shown to be directly contributing to or strongly influenced by around half of the Sustainable Development Goals. It also contributes to a number of the G20 2020 priorities. Within this context, objectives for seamless travel and enhanced traveller experience, are to:
Aspects of seamless travel have been the subject of various recent studies and initiatives, some supported by industry bodies and international organisations, which provide helpful and practical input. A survey of G20 countries was also undertaken to gain an insight of views, policies, actions, challenges and future intentions in this area. The survey revealed that seamless travel is likely to be given a higher priority in future tourism policies, for growth and management reasons.
The assessment of the context and opportunities related to seamless travel has led to four topics being identified as key areas for policy action. The relevance and importance of each of these topics was reaffirmed by the survey of G20 countries. The topics are mutually related and the contribution of each to seamless travel is significantly enhanced by the application of new technology. References to good practice throughout the report and in a set of more detailed case studies illustrate how the topics are being addressed in practice and provide pointers to future needs and opportunities.
The promotion of good practice in seamless travel and improved traveller experience was identified as one of two pillars for the tourism agenda for the G20 in 2020, under the Presidency of Saudi Arabia. The subject was seen as highly important in enabling future growth in tourism while delivering various other benefits. During the year, the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic has further underlined the importance of the concept of seamless travel for economic recovery and global wellbeing.
For the purposes of this report, seamless travel is defined as "The provision of a smooth, efficient, safe, secure and enjoyable travel experience from a traveller’s point of origin to a destination, within the destination, and back again".
The enhancement of seamless travel can be shown to be directly contributing to or strongly influenced by around half of the Sustainable Development Goals. It also contributes to a number of the G20 2020 priorities. Within this context, objectives for seamless travel and enhanced traveller experience, are to:
Aspects of seamless travel have been the subject of various recent studies and initiatives, some supported by industry bodies and international organisations, which provide helpful and practical input. A survey of G20 countries was also undertaken to gain an insight of views, policies, actions, challenges and future intentions in this area. The survey revealed that seamless travel is likely to be given a higher priority in future tourism policies, for growth and management reasons.
The assessment of the context and opportunities related to seamless travel has led to four topics being identified as key areas for policy action. The relevance and importance of each of these topics was reaffirmed by the survey of G20 countries. The topics are mutually related and the contribution of each to seamless travel is significantly enhanced by the application of new technology. References to good practice throughout the report and in a set of more detailed case studies illustrate how the topics are being addressed in practice and provide pointers to future needs and opportunities.
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