Seeing the World with Digital Currencies: The future of travel is on the blockchain
The travel industry is worth, approximately, all of the money (according to WTTC, it was worth a record $8.8 trillion in 2019), It’s the second fastest growing industry in the world. It should come as no surprise that we would cover it, after our pieces on tech, fashion, real estate and sports. We recommend you check those out if you’re interested in those areas.
With travel being so ubiquitous, and digital currencies being a natural fit for it (decentralized, borderless, outside the reach of national governments… It’s perfect, really), it should come as no surprise that there’s a growing demand for blockchain-based solutions for all the expenses incurred while traveling.
Booking flights is easy
There are several Online Travel Agents (OTAs) that are not only blockchain-friendly, but actually blockchain based, like TravelbyBit, CheapAir or XcelTrip. Some of these companies even have loyalty programs that allow you to earn rewards in the form of Bitcoin or their own token in exchange for your patronage.
But it goes beyond blockchain-based companies getting into the market. Some of the largest companies out there are adopting digital currencies. Alternative Airlines, for instance, isn’t just another OTA. They work with all major airlines, such as Delta, United, British Airways, Virgin or Emirates, but also smaller, national and regional airlines. They can book your trip with over 650 carriers, and take you anywhere in the world. You can go to Paris, New York or Cancún, but you can just as easily go to the Galapagos Islands or check out the world’s premiere wood airport in Jackson, Wyoming. And you can do it all with digital currencies thanks to Utrust.
Booking a hotel isn’t any harder
We’ve mentioned XcelTrip before, and they can book not only your flight, but also your hotel. They’re not alone, of course, LockTrip also provides that service.
The big player on this market, however, is Travala. Travala is blockchain-based, and they will connect you with Booking.com, Expedia and Priceline, aside from their own listings, meaning that through them you can book basically any hotel online using digital currencies. They boast 2,000,000+ properties and cover exactly 90,124 destinations in 230 countries and territories.
And here’s the kicker: they are also part of the Utrust ecosystem.
It’s now possible and easy to book both your flights and your accommodation pretty much anywhere in the world with digital currencies. We are very happy to say that Utrust has been an integral part of achieving this.
You can even book your whole trip at once
Platforms like Destinia or Corporate Travel (which specialises in business trips, mind) will take care of everything for you. You can take care of car rentals, train tickets, and even book shows and activities. And yes, it can all be done with digital currencies.
So now all you need to ask is: where to?
Plenty of cities are ready for some digital tourism
We have written about the Middle East, Europe, Asia, the US and South America in our series of blogs, so you can get some comprehensive coverage if you’re interested, but the bottomline is this: It’s best not to think of countries when you’re deciding your digital currency-based travels, but of cities.
Prague is probably the most digital currency-friendly city in the world. Opinions vary, of course, but what’s important to keep in mind is that the reality in these progressive cities may not be true in the rest of their countries, so do be careful. The top cities are always the same. San Francisco, New York, Buenos Aires, Ljubljana or Amsterdam are always near the top as well, with plenty of ATMs that process digital currencies and plenty of venues where you can use them to pay.
This number will explode, too.
Coinmap provides an excellent service by tracking these for you. If you’re traveling, and planning to use your Bitcoin or Ethereum to pay, you should definitely keep them handy.
Is your company ready to welcome these tourists? They are coming, and they are eager to spend their digital bucks. So join Utrust today, and make sure that the next big wave of tourism puts you well ahead of the competition.
