However, there are some marked differences between managers’ concerns and the actual problems encountered by their staff.
For example, 60% of managers expressed concerns over terrorism or security related issues, but only 6% stated that their staff had actually experienced those problems.
When asked what problems staff had encountered on business trips in the last year, the top three issues were natural disasters or severe weather conditions (18%), health or medical issues (15%) and issues around organising correct entry documents (13%).
Accessibility for staff with a disability was a concern for almost a third of managers (30%) and 11% went on to say that their staff had encountered problems in this area.
Harassment or violence against staff was a concern for 44% of managers, and 7% stated that their staff had encountered these kinds of problems.
Misunderstanding of local culture was a worry for 37%, with 9% stating their staff had encountered issues relating to this.
“There is a clear split between particular areas of concern for managers and the actual risk of problems occurring,” says Victoria Bacon, ABTA Director of Brand and Business Development.
“Managers are particularly worried around terrorism and security threats, and the support offered by ABTA in areas such as operational updates, sharing of Foreign Office advice and online training and crisis support are particularly relevant.”
Over half of managers (51%) said that none of their staff had encountered any problems on business trips over the last 12 months.
