Cyber scammers target travelers & the travel industry

[Tripatini]

Every September 27, travelers celebrate International World Tourism Day. The tourism landscape has changed immensely since the first such celebration in 1980, with the Internet becoming inevitable for travelers and travel agents.  According to the World Tourism Organization (UNTWO), in 2018 84  percent of travelers booked their holiday through bundling sites like Expedia or Kayak instead of contacting hotels and airlines. This counts for 1.176 billion travelers.

Most travelers would agree that the Internet is an essential part of traveling in 2019. For example, 82 percent of travel bookings in 2018 were done online, without any human interaction. “People go on various websites to buy their flights, book a hotel, and rent a car. To do this, they must enter their credit card details and ID information, disclosing their most sensitive data,” says Daniel Markuson, a digital-privacy expert at NordVPN. “The Internet allows people around the world to plan their travels conveniently," he continues, "however, it can also put them at various risks,”

The global travel industry by now being dependent on the Internet, no one is protected from security breaches. But there are steps that we can take to protect ourselves from hackers while on vacation. Markuson identifies five main online challenges for travelers and provides tips on how to overcome them.

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