Strengthening Travel Risk Management in 2026: What Today’s Travel Managers Need to Know
If you’re a Travel Manager navigating the realities of 2026, you already know the world isn’t the same place it was even two years ago. Geopolitical tension, shifting weather patterns, new health risks, and changing traveller expectations have created a landscape where travel risk management is no longer a side component of your programme – it is the programme.
At Rennies BCD, we’ve unpacked the latest BCD Travel Research & Intelligence global survey, based on the responses of more than 1,280 business travellers, to give you a clear, practical view of what travellers are experiencing, what they fear most, and where organisations need to sharpen their approach. This report is not just data – It’s a roadmap for Travel Managers ready to elevate their duty of care strategy and build a programme that protects people and boosts traveller confidence.
The Global Risk Landscape: What Travellers Are Actually Worried About
The report makes one thing unmistakably clear: traveller concerns are broad, real, and growing.
Top anxieties include:
- Transportation accidents (37%)
- Health emergencies (35%)
- Crime or theft (32%)
- Natural disasters and severe weather (31%)
In a world where flight routes can close overnight, severe storms intensify without warning, and health outbreaks still disrupt movement, it’s no surprise that risk perception is at an all‑time high.
What this means for Travel Managers:
Your programme can no longer rely on static policies or annual updates. Traveller safety requires dynamic intelligence, flexible decision‑making, and proactive communication—pillars we continuously support through BCD’s global intelligence platforms and Rennies BCD’s local expertise.
Traveller Behaviour: The Reality vs. The Policy
Even with rising awareness, business travellers continue to engage in behaviour that exposes them to risk:
- 43% connect to unsecured Wi‑Fi
- 28% walk alone at night
- 26% drive while fatigued
- 18% socialise with unfamiliar individuals
- 10% drink in excess during trips
These aren’t small numbers – they’re indicators that travel policies must be written for the real world, not the ideal scenario.
Where Rennies BCD supports you:
We help refine travel policies to incorporate practical safety guidance, easy-to-adopt behaviours, destination briefings, and access to travel safety tools that reinforce compliant behaviour without overwhelming travellers.
Supply Chain Perceptions: Hotels Safe, Low‑Cost Options Not So Much
Traveller confidence varies dramatically across categories:
- Approved corporate hotels score highest in perceived safety (with 86% feeling safe).
- Low-cost airlines and budget hotels rank among the least safe.
- Micromobility options (e-scooters, shared bikes) are seen as particularly risky.
This tells us something important: travellers trust curated supplier programmes—and that trust is part of your risk toolkit.
What Travel Managers should prioritise:
- Continually reviewing supplier safety standards
- Ensuring preferred partners meet evolving expectations
- Embedding guidance around “safe-choice” alternatives when disruptions or re-routings occur
Rennies BCD provides ongoing supplier assessments, plus intelligence-driven recommendations that align safety, cost and traveller satisfaction.
The Visibility Problem: Travellers Are Still Going Rogue
Despite years of programme optimisation, nearly 45% of travellers still book outside approved channels at least sometimes.
Meanwhile:
- 69% feel empowered to change an unsafe booking
- 10% proceed with unsafe bookings anyway
The intention is good—travellers want to protect themselves—but the result is dangerous: you lose visibility, making crisis response slower and cost control tougher.
This is solvable.
Through tools like TripSource, mobile risk alerts, and real-time traveller tracking, Rennies BCD helps ensure visibility without limiting traveller autonomy.
Information Access: A Critical Gap in Global Programmes
The report highlights a worrying knowledge gap:
- 32% of travellers don’t know where to find safety information
- 28% have had to seek information outside their company
- Nearly 30% don’t know who to contact in an emergency
This is a major opportunity for Travel Managers to strengthen pre‑trip communication, emergency protocols, and ongoing traveller engagement.
Rennies BCD supports this with:
- Local and global risk alerts
- Destination intelligence
- 24/7 emergency support
- Crisis communication pathways
- Pre-trip guidance for diverse traveller profiles
Trip Declines & Traveller Pressure: The Silent Risk
- 11% have refused a trip due to safety concerns
- 20% believe refusing a trip could harm their career
These two data points reveal a culture issue in many organisations: travellers feel compelled to choose between safety and performance.
At Rennies BCD, we partner with companies to establish a culture where employees never feel pressured to take unsafe trips. Safety should never be negotiable.
Where Travel Managers Must Focus in 2026
The report closes with a clear message: travellers want more safety support—smarter tools, better communication, and policies that reflect modern risks.
Their top requests include:
- Clearer guidance
- Safer hotel and transport options
- Better crisis response
- Destination intelligence before travel [BCD_report_TRM | PDF]
And most importantly:
Travellers want to feel seen, supported and confident.
The Rennies BCD Commitment
Travel risk management has officially entered a new era – one defined by agility, intelligence, and traveller-centric design. As your travel partner, Rennies BCD is committed to helping you evolve your programme to meet global standards, while providing the tools, insight and support needed to keep your travellers safe and informed.
Together, we can turn risk management into a strategic advantage – not just a compliance requirement.