HBI Staff | Hyderabad 
Digi Yatra, the facial-recognition technology-based check-in service at airports, might soon be implemented at hotels and public places like historical monuments, according to Suresh Khadakbhavi, CEO of Digi Yatra Foundation. A prototype for this use-case has already been developed, and discussions are ongoing with various government agencies, including the Ministry of Tourism.
“The vision is to create a travel stack for seamless movement across India,” Khadakbhavi said in an exclusive interview with The Hindu, discussing the future applications of Digi Yatra.
This expansion aims to enhance the travel experience for tourists, who currently need to produce a passport for check-in at hotels and at police stations for verification. Citing the example of the Taj Mahal, Khadakbhavi explained that Digi Yatra could also be used for rail travel, with initial discussions already held with the Ministry of Railways. Certain nationals, like those from Pakistan, are required to report their stay and departure within 24 hours at the nearest police station. Tourists from other countries with visas longer than 180 days must register at the Foreign Regional Registration Office (FRRO).
Khadakbhavi highlighted that extending Digi Yatra to hotels and public places would prevent data leakage, as people often share unencrypted identity documents through photocopies and screenshots. In contrast, Digi Yatra ID doesn’t carry any personally identifiable information. The Digi Yatra Central Ecosystem saves only a hash value or numerical identifier for the file, ensuring that none of the four data items shared by passengers during registration (name, Aadhaar, face scan, and passport number) can be leaked.
Digi Yatra digitally processes air travellers using their biometrics, such as a facial scan, instead of a boarding pass, enabling paperless movement through various airport checkpoints. Launched in December 2022, the initiative currently covers 14 airports, with plans to include 15 more by the end of 2024.
Initially, Digi Yatra aimed to improve passenger throughput at airports, enhancing airport infrastructure to handle increasing passenger volumes more efficiently. However, the proposed use-case for hotels and public places suggests a broader role for Digi Yatra beyond air travel. Digi Yatra Foundation, a non-profit private company, is a consortium of five private airports with a combined shareholding of 74%, while the Airports Authority of India holds the remaining 26%. The Foundation is funded by this consortium.
