AMSTERDAM — New research by Carlson Wagonlit Travel found that while more than one-third (37%) of European travellers are concerned about safety and security, their counterparts from other regions worry more: travellers from the Americas including Canada express that nearly half (47%) of the time they worry about safety and security, while Asia Pacific travellers worry the most (56%).
“Despite recent terrorist attacks, business travellers say they’re more worried about other things – and that’s surprising,” said Simon Nowroz, Carlson Wagonlit Travel’s chief marketing officer. “We found that, yes, the world seems scarier at times – but travellers believe they have more tools at their disposal to keep them informed and safe.”
Terrorism ranks fifth (35%) among safety concerns, despite the high visibility of terrorist attacks. “Forgetting something needed for work” ranked higher (40%), as did “losing something important” (38%), “being robbed or attacked” (37%) and even “weather conditions” (37%).
The CWT Connected Traveler survey of more than 1,900 individuals found that two-thirds (67%) of business travellers believe travel is safer today than in the past as they have more tools to mitigate safety concerns. Seven out of 10 travellers use at least one of their employer’s security protocols, such as traveler tracking or emergency contact profiles. And more than two-thirds (68%) buy travel insurance.
One in five travellers said they have cancelled a trip due to concerns about their safety and security. And close to one-third (30%) say they’re worried about their health and wellbeing when it comes to travelling.
Only 7% of Asia Pacific (APAC) travellers said they were “not concerned” about personal safety while traveling for business. That percentage rose to 12% for Americas travellers and 21% among Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) travellers. APAC travellers appear to be better prepared; according to the study, more than half (52%) of APAC travelers maintain an up-to-date emergency contact profile compared to 38% in the Americas and only 34% in EMEA.
APAC travellers are also more likely to sign up for notifications of real-time risks (41%). Only 33% do in the Americas, while only 29% do from EMEA.
“Today’s travellers are sophisticated,” said Nowroz. “They’re signing up for alerts, they’re paying attention to the news and they use the available tools at their disposal. So while travel may seem risky, they’re taking steps to stay safe.”
