Mobile ticketing is expected to recover to pre-pandemic 2019 levels by 2022, should the world be relatively COVID-19 clear by then. According to Juniper Research, the number of mobile ticketing transactions will increase from 6.8bn this year to 16.9bn in 2022, as we see more people travelling, taking part in leisure activities, and attending events.

The US is expected to have some of the highest growth on the back of the coronavirus, with transaction volume leaping 220 per cent between 2020 and 2023 as the country increases its use of contactless and in-app ticketing solutions.

When it comes to entertainment and sport, mobile ticketing is not predicted to exceed 2019 levels until 2023, with consumer concerns around safety and finances meaning people will stay away from these events for longer.

“The successful implementation of mobile ticketing is crucial to restoring consumer confidence in entertainment venues; putting the pressure on ticketing vendors to facilitate this urgent requirement,” said research author Susannah Hampton.

Contactless ticketing is expected to reach pre-COVID levels as soon as 2021 and grow to $25bn in 2023 from the $6bn forecasted for 2020. This is likely to be a permanent shift as people become more comfortable with the convenience of contactless during and beyond their virus concerns.