QR code seen as lifeline for tourism sector

Global system proposed by President Xi hailed as effective way to revive industry

The adoption of a global QR code system by countries could help revive the pandemic-hit travel and tourism industry in enabling people to cross borders without endangering public health, analysts said.

Sheryl Kimes, visiting professor at the National University of Singapore's Business School, said the proposed globally integrated QR code is "a good idea" and would likely resonate with residents of countries that are already used to digital contact tracing.

A QR (quick response) code is a machine-readable matrix barcode that was first used in the Japanese car industry in the 1990s. It was later adopted by other industries as it can be used in product tracking, document management, marketing and payments.

But Kimes said the authorities in some countries might not be receptive to the idea because of concerns over data security and privacy. In countries such as China, people have become used to scanning QR codes outside buildings and transport centers to generate an all-clear message on their phone screens.

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Nov 21 proposed the use of a global QR code system to help restore cross-border movement in a safe and orderly manner, noting that it would help "ensure the smooth functioning of the global economy".

Khor Swee Kheng, a Kuala Lumpur-based expert in health systems and policies, said Xi's proposal is "ambitious, but necessary and achievable".

Khor said the pandemic is "unprecedented" in the modern era and will therefore require "unprecedented global solutions" like implementing a global QR code system for travel. He believes that China has a key role to play in developing the system.

"China's technological edge, capital and effective implementation provide the necessary ingredients to restart some form of international travel," Khor said.

The pandemic has prompted countries to largely close their borders and enforce lockdown measures this year to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. Those measures have severely hurt the travel and tourism industry.

According to a report by the UN World Tourism Organization, international tourist arrivals plummeted 70 percent in the first eight months of the year from the same period in 2019, due to the travel restrictions. In the Asia-Pacific region, tourist arrivals plunged 79 percent for the period.

Vijay Verghese, a Hong Kong-based editor of online magazine Smart Travel Asia, also welcomed the proposed global QR code system, saying it would simplify travel procedures in the light of public health concerns brought by the pandemic.

He said the travel industry has been moving toward digitizing information and standardized procedures in the past few years. The pandemic, however, has made this shift more urgent.

"A globalized world is moving toward standardized procedures in everything, including travel," Verghese said.

This year, the QR code has been used to help control the spread of COVID-19.

In China, financial technology giant Ant Group developed a mobile application that users can download so that they can scan QR codes at expressway checkpoints and public establishments like restaurants, supermarkets and hotels. The codes function like traffic lights－a user who generates a green code can travel freely while those that have an orange or red code may need to quarantine for up to two weeks. The codes generated are based on the information that the users submitted.

In the Japanese prefecture of Osaka, restaurants, bars, theaters and museums have QR code scanners, enabling visitors to register their name and contact details. This ensures that the person will be alerted in case another visitor who was in the same venue on the same day was later diagnosed to have contracted the coronavirus.

In the Australian states of Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia, as well as the Australia Capital Territory, QR code systems are being used for contact tracing.