{"id":972,"date":"2016-09-09T12:51:40","date_gmt":"2016-09-09T11:51:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/betravelwise.com\/?p=972"},"modified":"2017-04-21T15:43:03","modified_gmt":"2017-04-21T14:43:03","slug":"common-threats-facing-business-travellers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/betravelwise.com\/?p=972","title":{"rendered":"The Most Common Threats Facing Business Travellers"},"content":{"rendered":"

There was once a time that the only companies who trained their employees on\u00a0travel safety and security (or who even had a travel security policy) were those\u00a0who operated in the so-called \u201chigh risk\u201d industries or areas \u2013 work such as\u00a0manufacturing, construction, mining, drilling, media, or defence in places such as\u00a0Somalia, Afghanistan, Iraq or Papua New Guinea.<\/p>\n

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However, according to the Institute for Economics and Peace\u2019s<\/a><\/span> recently released\u00a0Global Peace Index (GPI) report<\/a><\/span>, while Europe remains the world\u2019s most peaceful\u00a0geographical region, its average score has gone down as a result of recent\u00a0terrorism incidents in Paris and Brussels, as well as an increase in conflict and\u00a0instability in countries such as Ukraine and Turkey (now both ranked within the\u00a0top twenty \u201cmost dangerous\u201d countries).<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, France and Germany are ranked amongst the \u201cmost peaceful\u201d\u00a0countries (#118 and #148 respectively), yet there is a high level of uncertainty\u00a0and worry about the likelihood of future insecurity or violence.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, data from travel assistance companies suggests that violence is not\u00a0even the biggest threat to travellers: the top risks facing business travellers are\u00a0in fact petty non-violent crime, road traffic accidents, and food poisoning.<\/p>\n

Given these facts, it seems unrealistic that certain companies can continue to\u00a0endorse travel safety and security policies based on a simple \u201cHigh vs Low\u00a0Country-Risk\u201d paradigm.<\/p>\n

Top 3 Traveller Risks that Affect Anyone, Anywhere<\/span><\/h4>\n

Top Risk #1<\/span> \u2013 Petty (Non-Violent) Crime<\/h4>\n

Travellers are particularly vulnerable to this threat as they are often specifically\u00a0targeted (especially female travellers, particularly young-looking travellers, or\u00a0older-looking travellers, as these groups are perceived as \u201ceasier targets\u201d).\u00a0Europe may be a \u201cpeaceful\u201d destination, but Barcelona, Madrid, Paris, Prague and\u00a0Rome<\/span> <\/a>all regularly top the charts for incidents of petty crime and scams. Simple\u00a0precautions can be taken to help mitigate the risk of being targeted (such as\u00a0keeping valuables out of sight or ideally leaving them at home, dressing to blend\u00a0in, and only using high-value items such as laptops in secured environments such\u00a0as banks, departure lounges or access-controlled offices) while knowing what to\u00a0do in the event of being targeted is also essential (such as understanding the\u00a0strengths and limitations of local law enforcement agencies, how to contact your\u00a0local embassy, or the importance of keeping copies of essential documents such\u00a0as passports).<\/p>\n

Top Risk #2<\/span> \u2013 Road Traffic Accidents<\/h4>\n

Whether they\u2019re driving themselves, or passengers in a taxi or corporate car, the\u00a0risk of being involved in a road traffic accident is often higher when travelling\u00a0at home, and the emergency response services may not be of the same\u00a0standard that you would expect in your home country.\u00a0Did you know that (according to the WHO) there are more fatalities on the road\u00a0in China alone than in all of Africa put together? Or that while Nepal is a popular\u00a0destination for those wanting a glimpse of the Himalayas, and thousands of\u00a0visitors flock to Jordan wander around the UNESCO site of Petra, there are more\u00a0road fatalities per 100,000 motor vehicles in those countries than there are in\u00a0Iraq?<\/p>\n

Travellers need to know what precautions to take, and what to do if they are\u00a0involved in an accident. Simple check lists before getting in a vehicle (relating to\u00a0the condition of the vehicle, demeanour of the driver, clear display of\u00a0appropriate licences and registration, and most importantly \u2013 working seatbelts)\u00a0can help mitigate any potential risks, while knowing how to react in the event of\u00a0an accident (the pros and cons of staying in the vehicle vs leaving it in the event\u00a0of an accident, how reliable the emergency services are likely to be, basic first aid\u00a0response) are all essential.<\/p>\n

Top Risk #3<\/span> \u2013 Food Poisoning<\/h4>\n

Whether it\u2019s the result of unhygienic preparation or unfamiliar cuisine, food\u00a0poisoning can completely ruin a trip in more ways than one. The WHO estimated\u00a0that there were 582 million cases of food-borne diseases worldwide in 2010\u00a0(meaning about one in 12 of the global population was affected).\u00a0The most common causes of food poisoning are E. Coli, Salmonella,\u00a0Campylobacter and Listeria, found in beef, seeded vegetables, fruit, chicken,\u00a0pork, and dairy. Do your employees know the \u201cBoil it, cook it, peel it, or forget\u00a0it?\u201d mantra? If not, they should.<\/p>\n

CONCLUSION<\/h4>\n

These risks may not be particularly \u201cexciting\u201d, which is why they won\u2019t grab the\u00a0headlines in the way that certain others do, and very few movie directors are\u00a0going to be knocking on doors for the rights to a movie about an HR employee\u00a0who has his wallet lifted in Barcelona or a PR executive who is involved in a\u00a0fender bender in Dubai. But these are real-world risks that travellers are most\u00a0likely to face, and while they may not be life-changing or Hollywood-worthy, in\u00a0the best-case scenario they can still be a major source of stress, anxiety, upset,\u00a0and inconvenience, and in the worst-case scenario they can lead to much more\u00a0serious consequences if not handled appropriately. If your employees are\u00a0travelling on behalf of your company, your duty of care is an obligation to ensure\u00a0their safety and well-being in any and every destination and situation: training\u00a0travellers to anticipate and mitigate the risks they may face – whether in Angola\u00a0or Algeria, Prague or Paris, India or Indonesia – helps fulfil part of that obligation.<\/p>\n

Our Travel Wise Course<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/strong> covers all these issues and more.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There was once a time that the only companies who trained their employees on\u00a0travel safety and security (or who even had a travel security policy) were those\u00a0who operated in the so-called \u201chigh risk\u201d industries or areas \u2013 work such as\u00a0manufacturing, construction, mining, drilling, media, or defence in places such as\u00a0Somalia, Afghanistan, Iraq or Papua New…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":975,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[49,8],"class_list":["post-972","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorised","tag-personal-travel-risk","tag-travel-risk-management"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t