Business travellers defy security risks

UK business travellers made 52% more trips to high-risk destinations in the first half of this year than in the same six months of 2014.

From January to June, they made almost 2.5 million trips to countries that experienced level three security incidents, compared to just 1.6 million trips a year earlier.

Category three security incidents include attempted coups and terrorist attacks.

Tunisia saw the largest increase in business travel visits, which were up 362% in the first half of this year despite a steep rise in security risks.

Terrorist activity gave rise to three level three alerts from January to June this year, compared with zero in the first half of 2014.

However, the majority of visits from British travellers in the first half of the year would have taken place place prior to the terrorist attack on tourists in Sousse on June 26.

Since June, the British Foreign Office has been warning against travel to Tunisia.

The figures, from Collinson Group which provides insurance and assistance to business travellers, said a total of 41 countries registered level three incidents in the first six months of the year, with the majority in Middle Eastern, North African and sub-Saharan African countries making up the vast majority.

Egypt and Israel have also witnessed exponential growth in the number of business travellers despite serious security incidents, including car bombs to air strikes.

Egypt saw a 60% increase in business travel visits in the first six months of 2015 and Israel saw visits increase 41%. 

Both countries experienced significant category three security incidents in the first half of the year.

In addition, British business travellers made 2,852 visits to Pakistan in the first six months of this year, a country that ranks eighth in the world for the number of the highest risk security threats recorded globally in 2015.

Data from Collinson Group, whose 360 Assistance portal provides global security alerts for corporate travellers, reveals Yemen tops the list of countries experiencing the most serious level three security incidents with threats ranging across air strikes, car bombs and kidnapping. Iraq, Nigeria, Afghanistan and Syria make up the rest of the top five.

However, a number of countries perceived as being traditionally less risky also received level three alerts in the first half of 2015. Denmark, France, Macedonia and the US all saw level three incidents occur.

In recent weeks, Belgium has also issued a level three security alert.

Collinson Group is advising employers to review their corporate travel policies and consider what mechanisms they have in place to respond to a broadening array of emergency scenarios

Mark Rands, head of assistance at Collinson Group, said: "The world remains a challenging place for business travellers, both in countries we might associate as being more inherent with risk but also in those we tend to not think twice about.

"With the demand and requirement for business travel remaining high, information and preparation are key."