More UAE travellers move to digital contactless payments, reveals global industry study

·    94% of UAE respondents prefer to embed ‘Augmented Reality’ on their mobile devices

Abu Dhabi-UAE: 30 January, 2012 – UAE travellers are increasingly becoming mobile savvy as they prefer to make payments and seek information in a visual format on the device, revealed a major global industry study ‘From chaos to collaboration: How transformative technologies will herald a new era in travel’.

Commissioned by Amadeus, a leading travel technology partner and transaction processor for the global travel and tourism industry, this new report outlines the way new technologies and social change will transform travel by 2020. The study challenges the industry to overcome the uncertainty and stress of modern-day travel through the application of new technologies and innovations.

Based on extensive research and input from key industry experts – including technologists, leading travel industry representatives, social trends experts and futurists – as well as quantitative traveller research in the UAE, Brazil, China, Russia, Spain, the UK and the US, the study explores six key areas in which future technology and innovation could be deployed.

According to the study, developed by leading global foresight and futures consultancy The Futures Company, factors such as augmented reality, gamification*, intelligent passenger records, long range biometrics and the rise of the wellbeing agenda will drive change in the next decade and beyond, heralding a new era of industry and global travel collaboration.

Amadeus’s global report highlighted that travellers in the UAE prefer making payments via mobile rather than using cash or credit card. In the survey, 32% of the UAE respondents found it ‘Extremely Appealing’ to use the mobile for such transactions, as against 24% globally. Furthermore, 92% of the UAE respondents found mobile payments ‘Somewhat Appealing’ as opposed to 78% of the respondents among the other countries surveyed.

The study also revealed that 94% of the UAE respondents preferred using visual applications that reflect the physical world on the mobile device. ‘Augmented Reality’ which is a virtual view on the real world, is experienced in applications such as games, location apps and business cards. Other findings in the study reveal that 56% of UAE respondents cited having a strict boundary between work and personal life, while 66% of Emirati respondents stressed the importance of being reachable and available at all times, much more than the total response rate of 48%.
High mobile penetration in the UAE is cited as a key reason for travellers’ readiness to use advanced mobile applications and devices at payment points. Industry statistics reveal that the UAE is expected to lead with 100% mobile broadband penetration in 2012 while the mobile market penetration has already crossed the 200% mark.
Humayun Baig, Regional Market Manager in charge of the UAE, Oman and Bahrain, Amadeus, said: “Traveller needs are definitely seeing a dramatic change in the UAE with customers preferring advanced mobile applications and devices to conduct transactions. This reflects evolving changes in consumer lifestyle and travel requirements. The travel sector is also beginning to realise that the world is changing and travellers will increasingly expect intelligent information exchange”.

To download a copy of the report, please visit: www.amadeus.com/blog.  More information on methodology can be found on page 7 of the report.

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*Gamification refers to the application of game design thinking to non-game applications to make them more engaging. Gamification can potentially be applied to any industry and almost anything to create engaging experiences, converting users into players. Several industry experts have identified gamification as one of the most important trends in technology.

Notes to the editors

Amadeus is a leading transaction processor and provider of advanced technology solutions for the global travel and tourism industry.

Customer groups include travel providers (airlines, hotels, rail, ferries), travel sellers (travel agencies and websites), and travel buyers (corporations and individual travellers).

The group operates a transaction-based business model and processed 850 million billable travel transactions in 2010.

Amadeus has central sites in Madrid (corporate headquarters), Nice (development) and Erding (operations – data processing centre) and regional offices in Miami, Buenos Aires, Bangkok and Dubai. At a market level, Amadeus maintains customer operations through 73 local Amadeus Commercial Organisations covering 195 countries.

The Amadeus group employs around 10,000 people worldwide, with 123 nationalities represented at the central offices.

To find out more about Amadeus please go to www.amadeus.com.

To visit the Amadeus Investor Relations centre please go to www.investors.amadeus.com.