As the baby boomers reach retirement age one of the more obvious beneficiaries is the travel and tourism industry. Recent reports would indicate that Australians are travelling overseas in increasing numbers. So with all these people on the move, travel health has become an increasingly important issue for businesses in this industry.

One of the intriguing questions about Travel Health is how much of an issue is it and how do Travel and Touring companies respond? A recent project my colleague Nairy Baghdikian worked on indicated that ‘Staying healthy while travelling’ was one of several key jobs that travellers wanted to get done. Further, their ability to do this job with existing solutions was currently fairly low.

So it was with some interest that we were recently alerted to an innovative solution to this unmet job. Germ Guardian, a US based company, has developed a portable UV-C light wand that it claims can kill 99% of targeted airborne germs including Influenza-A, Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, Tuberculosis amongst others.

While this is truly an amazing peice of technology in itself, what makes it an interesting proposition for travel and tourism operators is the price. US$129.

Suddenly, the solution may well lie in the hands of the customer! (sic)

By providing travellers with a wand and enabling them to wave their wand over their hotel beds, bathroom taps, etc, travel and tourism operators (and travel insurance companies) may have an easy way to solve the underserved job of staying healthy while away.

Michael R Johnson