Photo by Getty Images
by Adam Leposa
Source: www.travelagentcentral.com, November 2019
Looking to travel safe in the coming year? International SOS has released a study on medical and security risks in countries around the world, which was conducted by Ipsos MORI.
According to the report, 51 percent of respondents experienced an increase in risks in 2019 over the past year. That’s up from 47 percent in 2018, but down from a high of 72 percent in 2016. Forty-seven percent of respondents said that they expect travel risks to increase in 2020; again, that is up from 43 percent last year but down from a high of 57 percent in 2016.
The top causes of modified itineraries in 2019 are as follows:
- Security threats – 45 percent
- Civil unrest – 38 percent
- Geopolitical threats – 32 percent
- Country risk ratings – 32 percent
For 2020, International SOS predicts that the top causes of modified itineraries will be:
- Security threats – 68 percent
- Civil unrest – 52 percent
- Geopolitical threats – 52 percent
- Natural disasters – 51 percent
Overall, 68 percent of travelers who end a business trip earlier are expected to do so because of a security risk, according to the report. Additionally, nearly half of businesses have inadequate or no resources to communicate with business travelers during a crisis. Just 11 percent of global companies include considerations for the LGBT community, although the United States is somewhat higher than the worldwide average, at 17 percent.
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