Terrorism is now the biggest worry for business travellers

Turkey and Mexico are the most unsafe destinations.

Terrorism is an increasing concern for travellers around the globe, whether they travel for business or pleasure. A new study released by the Global Business Travel Association found that almost half of business travellers (45%) rate terrorism as their biggest safety concern. The foundation surveyed 798 American business travellers online. Respondents rate terrorism far above other concerns, such as illness (13%), theft (12%) and street crime (15%).

The tourism sector is more volatile after a major terrorist incident. While the business travel sector is traditionally considered more resilient to these fears, recent high-profile terror incidents have clearly impacted business travellers too.

Business travellers consider major cities in developed nations to be safer than other destinations. Seven out of ten travellers surveyed said that destinations in the emerging world are unsafe, but the number of travellers who consider cities in developed nations unsafe rose by 20%. This suggests that travellers are increasingly uneasy about travel regardless of where they are headed.

Turkey and Mexico are the least safe destinations. 53% of business travellers in the survey rate Turkey as “not safe at all”. Washington D.C. and Los Angeles are considered the safest destinations, scoring favourable ratings of 73% and 72% respectively.

When broken down by generation, baby boomers are actually the most resilient business travellers. While 57% of travellers consider all destinations unsafe, baby boomers are the least likely to feel this way. They also have higher levels of confidence for both domestic and international trips. 37% of millennials, however, have actually travelled to unsafe destinations. By comparison only 25% of baby boomers and 27% of generation-Xers have travelled to unsafe destinations.

It’s vital to have a travel insurance policy that suits your travel requirements. Many insurance policies do not cover risky behaviour or trips to countries with strong travel warnings. If you do need to travel to an unsafe location, there are travel insurance products designed specifically for dangerous destinations.

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