SURVIEWTRAVEL BUYER SURVEY:

TRAVEL RISKMANAGEMENTBY BCD TRAVEL RESEARCH & INTELLIGENCE AND
GLOBAL CRISIS MANAGEMENT

March 2023

ABOUT THE SURVEY
Research & Intelligence partnered with Global Crisis
Management to create a survey and gather intelligence on
travel risk management. The survey seeks to explore thetopic of travel risk management (TRM) and looks at the travelbuyers’ experiences creating and managing theirorganizations’ TRM programs, including measures that may
improve the health, safety and security of business travelerson the road.
BCD’s Global Crisis Management team not only provides an operational service bymonitoring world events and distributing reports of potentially affected bookings
following an incident but are subject matter experts of travel risk management.
Through their expertise in assessing various organizations’ TRM programs throughthe Traveler Security Program Assessment, GCM believes that an ideal TRM
program is comprised of three elements: plan, support and review. This survey
addresses an organization’s competency in each of those areas by looking atrelevant program components through the lens of the ISO 31030:2021, Travel risk
management – Guidance for organizations.
By combining the knowledge of Research & Intelligence with the expertise of Global
Crisis Management, the Travel Risk Management travel buyer survey was created.

Look for this symbol for insights on travel risk
management from Global Crisis Management

Survey participants at a glance
Planning the travel risk management programfor success

Supporting business travelers during their trip
Continually reviewing the program foreffectiveness and relevanceHOME

The importance of
the ISO 31030:2021
In 2021, the International Organization forStandardization created ISO 31031:2021, which is thefirst standard specific to travel risk management. It isavailable for purchase through the ISO website.
With this new standard in place, now is a great time tosee what travel buyers have to say about theirorganizations’ TRM programs, as well as bringawareness to areas that could be improved upon byusing advice from ISO 31030:2021. For more
information, please see this video series for brief
overviews of each section of ISO 31030:2021,
presented by the Global Crisis Management team.

ISO 31030:2021 is a standard that provides a general framework, but organizations
are not yet able to earn ISO 31030:2021 certification. However, BCD Travel’s
Traveler Security Program Assessment is aligned with the guidance of ISO
31030:2021 and can assist organizations with assessing their current TRM program
to ensure they are aligned with the industry’s latest advice.

I have heard of it but don't knowmuch about it

No, I have never heard of it

45%

31%

Yes, I have read it

14%

Somewhat familiar throughindustry news and webinars

11%

We surveyed travel buyers to gauge their familiarity with ISO
31030:2021, and you can see that only 14% have read it, and
11% are somewhat familiar. With three-quarters of travelbuyers having little to no knowledge of the new guidance,
organizations could potentially be missing importantcomponents of their TRM program.

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Survey participants at a glance
A total of 96 travel buyers completed the survey.
Directmanager

Procurement manager/ director

26%

Travel manager/ director

24%

Other (please specify)

13%

Chief Financial Officer (CFO)

12%

Finance manager/ director

11%

Annual business travel spend globally$10.1 - $25M

8%

Human resources manager/ director

5%

Security manager/ director

4%

Chief Executive Officer (CEO)4%$50M - $100M

Chief Operations Officer (COO)

1%

13%

Industry$25.1 - $50M

13%

A total of 17 industries are represented, with the mostcontributors being from:

18%

16%

11%

Health /Pharmaceuticals

Manufacturing

Financial
Services

Up to $5M

18%

I don’t know

18%$100.1M and more

15%

$5.1 - $10M

15%

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Travel risk management program stakeholders
Multiple areas of the organization must have a stake in the TRM program due to the complexity of travel risk and all the areasthat can potentially be affected. According to section 5.3 in ISO 31030:2021, top management within an organization is fully
responsible no matter where responsibilities have been entrusted, so it’s promising to see 58% of travel buyers surveyed statethat the C-Suite / Executive Team are their programs’ decision makers. Travel is the most used leader of the TRM program at
29%, with the top contributor being HR at 63%.
IT
Marketing

1%

2%

3% 3%

Audit

5%

Legal

6%

Human Resources
Procurement
TravelSecurity

57%

40%

15%

78%

8%

32%

55%

14%

11%

51%

29%

13%

14%

63%

14%

13%

27%

45%

33%

29%
48%

33%
20%

58%

C-Suite/ Exec Team
Decision maker

20%
12%

LeaderContributor

22%
Not a stakeholder

5%
12%
8%

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Planning the travel risk
management programfor successPolicy and compliance
What organizations consider when assessing travel risks
Risk mitigation

Source of destination intelligence

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Policy and compliance
Percentage of companies
with a TRM policy

Communicate theimportance of
employee’s duty tocomply with security
measures

How organizations
encourage compliancewith TRM initiatives

63%

Other, 1%
Don't
know,
9%
No, 16%
Yes, we havea separate
TRM policy,
21%

Promote employee
responsibility for
personal safety
while traveling

Yes, it isincluded intravelpolicy, 53%

56%

42%

42%

Don’t
know

4%
Whether the TRM measures are part of the travel policy or in a standalone TRM policy,
the organization must communicate the policy and any updates to their travelers.
Creating a culture of safety and encouraging “duty of loyalty” through codes of conduct
and acknowledgement of communications will ensure employees are managing theirpersonal safety while considering the controls set in place by the organization.

A company codeof conduct tofollow while
traveling

Require employee
acknowledgementofcommunications
sent

None

8%

What organizations consider
when assessing travel risks

94%

71%

Travel destination

Mode of transportation

59%

58%

55%

44%

Quality/availabilityof medical services

Potential impact
to the company

Unique risks
associatedwith traveler

Cybercrime

6%

4%

1%

Other

Don’t know

Nothing is
considered

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Every trip can have a different risk profile, not justassociated with the destination and mode of transportation but
also with available infrastructure and the varying risk profile ofeach traveler. For example, travel to a destination with high air
pollution could be considered high-risk for an asthmatic
person but lower-risk otherwise.

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Travelers say…

• 67% are likely to use travel security
training• 45% don’t know if theirorganization offers training• 26% state their organization does
not offer training
Source: TRM Traveler Survey published November 2022

Risk mitigation
Once the risks have been assessed
and to ensure business resiliency,organizations may need to use
multiple risk treatments to mitigate
the risk to a more tolerable level,
according to section 7.1 in ISO
31030:2021.
The chart illustrates that providing
destination information and alerts aswell as pre-trip approvals,
appropriate medical interventions,and education are frequently usedamong organizations.

82%

Provide pre-trip destination information

74%

Provide on-trip security and / or health alerts
65%

Pre-trip approvals
54%

Vaccines and / or health checks

50%

General security training

41%

Destination-specific security training
Other

4%

Don’t know

1%

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Source of destination intelligence
Destination intelligence plays a crucial role in travel risk management, as it supplies destination briefings, travel
alerts, and medical & security requirements. This information needs to be from a trusted source that is both timely
and reliable. Almost three-quarters of organizations source their intelligence from a third-party provider, with 58%
who also use their travel management company (TMC) to provide destination intelligence.

Third-party assistance provider

73%

Travel management company

58%

National and global news

38%

Government agencies

38%

News aggregator

19%

Social media

14%

Don't know

13%

Trade publications

9%

Other

1%

BCD Travel offers the COVID-19 Information Hub
to help you make informed, confident and safe
travel decisions.

HOME

Supporting businesstravelers during their trip
The frequency security and health incidents are addressed byorganizations
Where companies may be falling short in offering themeasures travelers need to feel safe

Emergency contact for travelers
Safety measures provided for travel to high-risk destinations
Location awarenessTravelers’ opinions on tracking via Internet-connected devices
Measures to reduce the impact of security or health incidents
Support for blended travel
Post-trip support

The frequency security and health incidents are
addressed by organizations
This chart would’ve looked much different prior to COVID-19 when most public health emergencies were typically isolated to certain
regions (e.g., Zika, Ebola, avian flu, etc.). The pandemic shifted the short-term focus to public health, and as illustrated in the chart
below, will remain there as pandemic / public health emergency is now the most regularly addressed type of incident. Next are
natural disasters, with an increase in catastrophic weather events due to the impacts of climate change, followed closely bycybercrime, which has also increased since the start of COVID-19 as cybercriminals target a rapidly expanded remote workforce.

Pandemic/public health emergency

67%

Natural disasters

49%

Cybercrime

47%

Civil unrest

38%

Theft

38%

Terrorism or mass shootings

32%

Personal medical emergency

31%

Violent crime

19%
25%

18%

18%

28%
20%

29%

6%

25%

9%
8%

32%

18%

44%

19%

30%

Regularly

8%

34%

18%

26%

14%

Sometimes

22%

Rarely

Never

22%

6%

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Where companies may be falling short in offering themeasures travelers need to feel safe
Safety measures provided by organization

Communicate clear instructions onwhat to do in case of emergency

5%

Support measures that make travelers feel safe

Clear instructions about what to do
in case of an emergency

Central contact in case of
emergency

12%

Have a central contact to use in caseof an emergency

Collect emergency contact
information

12%

Employer collect emergency
contact list

44%

53%

25%

Source: TRM Traveler Survey published November 2022

The data illustrates a noticeable gap between some of the measures that travelers indicated make them feel safe and what organizations areoffering. In addition to receiving destination information, travelers want instructions on what to do and whom to contact in an emergency. They also
want their organization to be able to contact their next of kin.

Not knowing what to do in an emergency adds stress to an already stressful situation and could further jeopardize the employee, company assets,
reputation and business resiliency. Empowering travelers to make smart and informed decisions is a win for everyone.

HOME

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Emergency contact for travelers
How do employees know who to contact?

Information
available on
intranet

80%

Listed in travel
policyNoted onall travel
itineraries

52%

Information
providedduringonboarding

25%

51%

Employees
provided a
card

40%

Listed on
mobile app

49%
Providing contact information on the intranet and travel policy is great, however, in an emergency,
travelers need to access this information quickly. Another consideration during large-scale security
incidents or in rural areas, is a traveler's ability to remotely access the intranet. These are both excellent
reasons to provide emergency contacts on a card or hard copy of some kind as suggested by section
8.2 in ISO 31030:2021.

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Safety measures provided
for travel to high-risk destinations
Travelers say…
Destination briefings

50%

Locally vetted ground transportation

44%

Locally vetted hotel accommodations

39%

Destination-specific training

38%

Provide physical security (i.e., bodyguards)

24%

Use of local guides and / or interpreters

23%

Don't know

21%

Clean devices clear of proprietary information

21%

Satellite phones

15%

GPS device tracking

14%

Kidnap and ransom training

9%

Nothing additional is offered

5%

Safety tools for the hotel (i.e., doorstop, travel lock, etc.)

5%

There are some discrepancies when comparing traveler preference to what the organization
provides. Most travelers don’t know what their organization offers which could indicate lackof engagement by the employer. It is also interesting to note that 27% of travelers preferadditional safety tools for the hotel, such as doorstops, travel locks, etc., however only 5%of organizations provide that to their travelers.

• 36% don’t know what theirorganization offers for travel to highrisk destinations• 33% prefer destination briefings• 27% prefer additional safety tools
for the hotel
Source: TRM Traveler Survey published November 2022

According to ISO 31030:2021, travelers
need to be given trustworthy advice
about the safety and health conditionsof accommodations in preparation for
travel to a high-risk destination. Having
locally-sourced and trusted advice isalso advised.
ISO 31030:2021, Annex FHOME

Methods used by organizations

Location awarenessKnowing where traveling employees are is an
important component of travel risk
management. There are a variety of methods
for tracking or location awareness, anddeciding which type to use should coincidewith the size and capability of the organization.
Using passenger name record (PNR) data
appears to be the most common means ofdetermining traveler location with awareness by
global positioning system (GPS) being thesecond most used method. However, sometravelers feel that GPS tracking infringes on
their privacy. See travelers’ opinions on using
internet connected devices below.

21%

12%

Mobile/GPS

App check-in

Creditcard data

11%

6%

5%

3%

None

Other

Don’t know

Wearable or
handheld device

79%

24%

Booking/
PNR data

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42% Yes, but undercertain circumstances

12% YesTravelers’ opinions on
tracking via internetconnected devices

38% NO

Circumstances travelers would consider
tracking by employer

8% Don’t know

16%

27%

With possibility
to turn off
tracking

While in highrisk destinations

16%

With ability to“check-in”

11%
During businesshours
Source: TRM Traveler Survey published November 2022

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Measures to reduce the impactof security or health incidents
The purpose of travel risk management is not always to eliminate risk but to enable employees to travel with known risks that are
acceptable to the organization’s risk appetite. The organization should have systems and processes designed to reduce the impact
on the organization should those risks become a reality. For this reason, insurance is widely used, with a variety of coverageavailable, such as comprehensive travel, medical and kidnap and ransom. Crisis response teams and evacuation coverage areused by almost half of respondents. Lastly, employee well-being offerings, used by about one-third of organizations, can reducethe impact to the travelers’ mental and physical health through fitness center subsidies, healthy eating options, subscriptions tovirtual wellness providers, health tracking, etc.

Insurance

82%

Crisis response team

59%

Security or medical evacuations

45%

Employee well-being offerings

33%

Don't know

9%

Other

6%

None

5%

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Don’t
know
20%

Support forblended travel
Bleisure or blended travel seems to be one of
the more confusing areas for travel risk
management. When asked if support forblended travel is provided by the organization,
47% of travel buyers state there is none, while
64% of travelers don’t know if they aresupported or not. Guidance in ISO 31030:2021
doesn’t stipulate whether support should be
provided but indicates it should be clarified in
the policy and communicated to employees.

Blended travel is here to stay with a market value of $497.5
billion in 2022, according to Future Market Insights and
GBTA. With 2 out of 5 employees requesting blended trips,
providing support can be a valuable tool in attracting andretaining top talent, which supports business resiliency and astrong company culture.

No
47%

TravelTraveler
buyer

Yes
33%

No
20%

Don’t
know
64%

Traveler
Source: TRM Traveler Survey published November 2022

Yes
16%

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Post-trip support
TravelersTravel buyers

Source: TRM Traveler Survey published November 2022

No post-trip support is provided

45%

No steps are taken

39%

Don't know

15%

Don't know

16%

Personal time off

14%

Personal time off

13%

Request for feedback post-trip

15%

Request for feedback post-trip

11%

Follow up on any security or medical
incidents experienced during trip

10%

Mental and / or physical health checks

5%

Follow up with employee on any security or
medical incidents
Mental and / or physical health checks

Other

29%
8%
2%

Other

2%

Crossing multiple time zones, loss of sleep, change in eating habits, involvement in a security incident, personal health emergencies, service disruption, poor vendor
experiences, and the list goes on of what could happen during a trip. Part of an organization’s duty of care is to ensure travelers have the necessary support for any
type of trauma or stress experienced while traveling. The effects don’t stop once a trip is over and can have a long-lasting impact on both a traveler’s physical andmental health.
ISO 31030:2021 addresses traveler recovery, stating the organization should regard how travel may affect the health of their employees. It goes on to say thatorganizations should allow the proper “rest and recuperation” depending on the circumstances of the trip and communicate to travelers what they are allowed.
ISO 31030:2021, section 7.4.9.2

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Continually reviewing the
program for effectivenessand relevance
Audit and review of the program

Program updates communicated and accessible
company-wide
Review high-risk destination list
Conduct tabletop crisis simulations to test program
and response

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Audit and reviewof the program
It’s best practice to document all TRM policies
and processes for a variety of reasons, one ofwhich is to have the capability to audit the
program regularly. Changes to the organization,
new third-party providers, and updates to theprogram provide an opportunity to review the
program to ensure there are no issues. A
breakdown in any of the processes within the
TRM program could result in an organization
not fulfilling their duty of care. Section 9.1 in
ISO 31030:2021 states, the organization should
assess, audit and analyze the various
procedures within the TRM program to makesure they are working efficiently. The fact thatthe majority of respondents indicate they don’tknow if their program is audited and reviewed
could indicate it hasn’t been considered as anecessary process. 30% review their program
annually which is what the standard
recommends.

Don’t know

38%

Yes, annually30%

Yes, ad hoc

23%

Yes, after major incident

8%

Yes, after changes with org.

8%

Yes, every 2-5 years

6%

No

5%

ISO 31030:2021 advises to fully review andaudit the TRM program at least once per
year, but there are circumstances thatwarrant an additional review.
ISO 31030:2021, section 9.1

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23%
Program updates
communicatedand accessible
company-wide

No

61%

It’s promising to see that 61% of organizations
communicate and make program updates
accessible across the organization. By keeping
all stakeholders informed, the TRM program will
work more efficiently.
One notable piece of advice according tosection 8.1 in ISO 31030:2021 is the TRM
program shouldn’t only be communicated but
also acknowledged by their employees.
Know that efforts at engaging employees with
important information is not being ignored byrequiring an acknowledgement from theemployee.

16%
Don’t
know

Yes

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Other
3% Never5%
Monthly
6%

Review high-risk
destination list
Travel to high-risk destinations can mean amore aggressive approach to managing risk,
which indicates a greater need to be aware of adestination’s risk rating. Considering thevolatility of the world today, stemming from
geo-political instability due to economic
hardships, distrust of government, scarce
resources, and regional conflicts, the risk
profile of a destination can change quickly.
Organizations should consider this when
determining how often to review their high-risk
destination list in proportion to their operational
needs.

Annually
8%

Don’t
know
35%

Quarterly
11%

Ad hoc18%

Weekly14%

HOMEDon’t know

Conduct tabletop
crisis simulations totest program andresponse
More than half of organizations surveyed
don’t know if tabletop crisis simulations are
conducted to test their program and response.
Without testing these processes, organizations
may not discover any issues until there is anactive incident that requires activation of theirincident management plan and could result incatastrophic losses. Hope for the best but planfor the worst.

53%

Ad hoc basis

14%

Never

13%

Annually7%

Bi-annually

6%

Quarterly

3%Monthly

2%

Every 2-5 years2%

ISO 31030:2021 recommends organizations should
check their capability to respond to a crisis,
including evacuation, by incorporating simulated
exercises on a regular basis combined with timed
practice responses.
ISO 31030:2021, section 7.4.11

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Areas for improvement
Key findings from the survey

Support

Plan

•

•

When conducting a risk
assessment, consider morethan travel destination andmode of transportation
Provide travel security training,both general (all travel) anddestination-specific (high-risk
travel)

•
•

•
•
•

Provide clear instructions toemployees on what to do in an
emergency
Communicate all emergency
contact details to employees both
digitally and in print
Have locally sourced intelligenceand support in high-risk destinations
Create a policy around blended
travel and communicate it toemployees
Offer post-trip support

Review•••

Audit and review the program
regularly, especially when there
are changes to providers or theorganization
Create a consistent process forreview of the high-risk destination
list
Don’t wait until it’s too late to
conduct crisis simulations

SURVIEW

Mandy Jolley
Crisis Program Manager, Global Crisis Management
Kentucky, USA
mandy.jolley@bcdtravel.com

Miriam Moscovici
VP, Product Planning & Intelligence
Colorado, USA
miriam.moscovici@bcdtravel.com

We have carefully researched and checked the information contained.
However, we do not accept any liability for any damage or loss as aresult of the use of the information contained in this article.