Survey reveals holidaymakers’ biggest fears – and they’re not what you might expect

A survey has revealed international travellers’ biggest fears to be civil unrest and terrorism, a significant “attitudinal shift” from last spring.

Global Rescue, a American company which provides medical, security, travel risk and crisis management services, surveyed over 1,500 current and former members about their primary concerns while travelling abroad.

More than a third of travellers (36 per cent) reported civil unrest and terrorism as their biggest travel concerns, surpassing accidents and illness by more than 10 percentage points.

Only 25 per cent of respondents to the January 2024 survey said having an accident or getting ill during a trip was their greatest fear, down from 50 per cent of respondents to the Spring 2023 Traveler Sentiment and Safety Survey.

Global Rescue said that the results mark an “attitudinal shift” in traveller sentiment. CEO Dan Richards said: “We’re seeing an understandable increase in traveller concern worldwide. Nevertheless, international trip takers continue to travel anyway despite the rising threats of civil unrest, war, and terrorism.”

Worries about trip cancellations, robberies and theft were of primary concern for between seven and nine per cent of respondents, while testing positive for Covid, natural disasters and nuclear disasters were the area of biggest anxiety for around five per cent of travellers.

Over a third of those surveyed said that the war in Ukraine and the Hamas-Israel conflict have prompted them to increase their travel insurance protection – including purchasing security advisory and conflict extraction protection.

Richards said: “Traveller uncertainty generally increases traveller demand for emergency medical and security services.”

He added: “Last year, traveller purchases of security and extraction services increased by 36 per cent, and we expect that will continue in 2024. We’ve seen this traveller behaviour since the war in Ukraine, and we’re seeing it continue following the attacks on Israel.”