Just recently, BitKE published a report claiming that more than 11% of travel agencies accepted crypto payments in 2024. This made the travel sector the leading in terms of crypto adoption among those they surveyed. Cryptocurrencies, which were once niche, have been changing things across numerous sectors recently, and the travel industry has not been left out.
And it’s not just Bitcoin and Ethereum leading the charge – XRP and other fast and low-cost coins are also becoming popular among travellers and travel companies. XRP is quite attractive among fast-paced environments like airports and ride shares because of its quick processing times. So, to learn more about crypto’s growing influence in the travel industry, keep reading.
The growing need for cheap and instant payments
Interestingly, reports have it that about 74% of consumers confirmed using instant and quick payment methods in 2023 alone. You can imagine what this can translate to in 2025, especially now that the need for immediacy in payments could have increased. Actually, in early May 2025, PYMNTS.com released a report showing that 78% of consumers were highly satisfied when receiving quick and instant payments.
And this preference does not vary in the travel industry since travellers expect fast, seamless payment encounters. This is why about 74% prefer using digital wallets, which offer these features. Gone are the days when we would be comfortable waiting for payments to be processed for ages. With the prevailing tech improvements, we now expect this process to be as brief as possible.
Thankfully, digital currencies can help with that. Remember, they are decentralised, which eliminates the need for intermediaries who often lead to delays in traditional methods. In fact, settlement in more robust networks like Solana can take an average of 10 seconds. Besides improving speed, eliminating intermediaries also reduces transaction costs.
Every international traveller can agree that dealing with currency exchange can actually be challenging. The fees, confusing rates and the risk of carrying too much cash are all hassles. However, with crypto-based payments, you can bypass traditional systems. This can be useful in regions where banking infrastructure is weak or expensive to access.
Loyalty programs are getting a crypto makeover
Any serious business person can agree that running a business without loyalty programs can really be disadvantageous. Now that three-quarters of consumers prefer brands with rewards, according to Cropink’s approximations, you don’t want to ignore this aspect, even for a second.
Plus, loyalty program members often spend about 12-18% more than non-members, providing good grounds to strengthen your business performance. Mark you: These features can really improve retention rates because consumers generally love bonuses.
And if more become loyal, you can improve profits by up to 95%. But as much as travel companies use loyalty programs to take advantage of these benefits, they have not been without challenges.
For instance, some are often non-transferable, expire quickly and are locked into specific platforms. To get ahead of these challenges, blockchain-based loyalty programs offer a more flexible, transparent way of rewarding customers.
Through tokenisation, this new breed of bonus programs allows rewards to be traded, sold or redeemed across multiple partners. You no longer need to hoard, say, 10,000 points with a single airline you rarely fly. You can receive a crypto token to exchange for a hotel stay or anything else according to your preferences. A good example of this application is FlyCoin.
This crypto-based rewards platform gives travelers tokens they can spend or trade just like any other crypto. The idea is to offer more utility and ownership over your rewards – two things that traditional points systems lack.
Interestingly, even big players have been experimenting. In 2022, Emirates confirmed plans to launch NFTs and encounters in the metaverse to improve customer and employee experience.
Other important statistics to consider
Exploding Topics recently noted that global crypto owners have reached one billion. And of course, of this population, some, including travelling enthusiasts, may want to use digital tokens to make payments. This explains why travel agencies and companies have been adopting crypto to improve their relevance to this population.
Consider Travala, a popular booking service, for instance. It allows users to book over 2.2 million hotels using more than 100 digital currencies. Surprisingly, 77% of all bookings made on the platform in September 2024 alone were paid using crypto, indicating the tokens’ growing demand in the industry.
And it’s not just about tacking on crypto payments as an afterthought. Many of these companies have deeply integrated blockchain, providing native utility tokens that can be used for discounts. And perhaps you’ve heard about how top brands like airBaltic have been joining this ring. As a matter of fact, airBaltic, popular for being innovative among global carriers, became the first airline to accept digital currencies in 2014 and the first to issue NFTs in 2021.
In closing, no one can actually deny that crypto is changing things in the travel industry. Known for its fast transactions, crypto has become a popular way for travel agencies to meet the growing need for immediate payments.
And for travellers grappling with currency fees, digital currencies are quite cheap because they eliminate the need for third parties. They have also transformed how brands reward customer loyalty. Through tokenised assets, for instance, you can convert loyalty points into many applications – something that was not possible with many traditional programs.
