The Safer Tourism Foundation warns that the climate crisis and the increasing average age of travelers are shaping a new and more complex risk reality for travel agents and tourism organizations.
According to the organizations annual Travel Behaviour Risk Index, which combines data on safety incidents and traveler surveys, there is a surge in heat-related incidents. At the same time, overall reported safety incidents increased by 15% between 2023 and 2024.
The likelihood of a British traveler experiencing an incident abroad rose from 1 in 263 travel experiences to 1 in 217. This increase is attributed both to an actual rise in incidents and to more effective reporting mechanisms from industry bodies.
Heat-related incidents and gastrointestinal infections at the top
Gastrointestinal illness remains the most common type of incident, accounting for 39% of reports. This is followed by falls, slips, and trips at 16%, particularly burdensome for older travelers.
A significant increase is recorded in heat stress incidents: one in four British travelers admits to having suffered a heat-related episode abroad, with 30% of them stating that they took no preventive measureseven after a previous heat-related experience.
A 14% increase was also noted in incidents related to food allergies, in line with broader public health trends.
The Holiday Head and the illusion of safety
Katherine Atkinson, CEO of the Safer Tourism Foundation, emphasizes that a new, more complex risk landscape is emerging, underlining that rising temperatures and an aging traveler population create additional challenges for the tourism market.
Although travelers consider safety a key criterion in choosing a destination, its importance diminishes when selecting activities or planning their trip. We still see the phenomenon of Holiday Head, with overconfidence leading to a mismatch between travelers abilities and the activities they choose, she notes.
Better reporting, clearer risk picture
Despite the increase in incidents, Atkinson points out a silver lining, as improved reporting mechanisms allow more travelers to share their experiences. Robust incident reporting gives us a more accurate picture of what goes wrong and allows us to design targeted interventions to reduce risks, she says.
The index is based on anonymized incident data from travel organizations representing over 10 million annual British trips, as well as a survey of 2,000 UK adults.
Positive results from the Safer Tourism Pledge
The Safer Tourism Pledge appears to be effective, with participating organizations showing improvements in CO detector placement in accommodations, a reduction in bicycle accidents, and a significant decrease in falls following infrastructure interventions and informational updates.
Atkinson calls on more tourism organizations, insurers, and data partners to join the initiative: Safety should never be a competitive field. Collaboration strengthens the industry as a whole while simultaneously protecting the communities that depend on tourism.
