Contactless Technology as a Factor of Tourism Industry Development - A Review of Current Practices and Future Directions

During the Second World War, technology was developed for tracking objects or enemy aircraft, now known as contactless technology, which at that time was limited to only one type of technology, called RFID - Radio Frequency Identification. For years, contactless technology has evolved and NFC technology has emerged from RFID technology, which is labeled as short-field technology. Today, Bluetooth Beacon technology is also known and developed. All three technologies have a great application in tourism, such as contactless payment, toll collection, sharing of important information, access control, exchange of data between two smart devices, as well as many others. The aim of this paper is to indicate the significant application of contactless technologies in tourism, as well as to highlight the benefits and future implications of the examples presented.