The LATA Safety Scheme was set up to help improve safety standards in accommodation and transport across Latin America for the benefit of all travellers to the region. Yesterday’s webinar, Talking Safety and Resilience, saw LATA’s three key safety partners join force to discuss some of current issues and trends around travel risk, customer safety and the impact of the wider geopolitical landscape.
For more information on becoming a Safer Tourism Foundation Pledge Partner see here. You can rewatch Kathy’s Holiday Head webinar here.
For more about Sanderson Philips’ Travel Risk, Safety & Crisis Management seminar on 29 April see here
For more information on the TRIP Group webinar on 14 May and conference on 17 September see here. Members receive two complimentary tickets to all TRIP Group events as part of the LATA membership.
We have summarised the key discussion points and you can watch in full again below.
We will be hosting further webinars on these topics so please keep a look out for emails with more details.
Our thanks again to Kathy, David and Lloyd for their time and expertise on this vital topic – one that most of us are reluctant to discuss in advance of something happening.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Kathy Atkinson, Safer Tourism Foundation
Safer Tourism Foundation is a charity focused on preventing deaths and serious harm to travellers, particularly in the UK outbound market but also including tourists from other countries.
Incident Data Collection: The foundation collects anonymized incident data from various tour operators, ranging from large to niche specialists, to understand common safety issues.
2023 Incident Data: The latest data set reflects incidents from about 10.5 million UK trips, covering common issues like cardiac problems, food allergies, drowning, and falls. The likelihood of a traveller encountering a safety incident remained unchanged from 2022 to 2023, with a 1 in 263 chance of being involved in an incident.
Top Incident Types: Gastrointestinal issues (like diarrhoea and vomiting) are the most common incidents, followed by issues like pre-existing conditions, falls, and fights.
Focus on Preventable Issues: The charity emphasises preventing less obvious incidents like heat-related problems and food allergies, which can have severe consequences.
Impact of Hotter Holidays: Travelers, especially from cooler climates, may not adjust their behaviour for rising temperatures, leading to incidents like dehydration. Adjusting activity schedules and improving hydration could help reduce risks.
Pre-existing Conditions: Travelers with long-term health conditions (like cardiac issues or asthma) may face additional risks in hotter climates, which need to be managed more carefully.
Food Allergy Risks: Food allergies, while less common, can be life-threatening, especially due to miscommunication in supply chains, leading to fatalities despite precautions.
Other Safety Concerns: Issues like drowning in rough seas (especially among older men), bike accidents due to poor terrain, and falls are common safety concerns, with a focus on improving awareness and prevention strategies.
David Atkin, Sanderson Phillips tranquilico
This covers some important points about best practices within the accommodation and supplier industries, with a focus on safety and operational standards.
Fire Safety: Effective fire safety measures are essential, including smoke detectors, exit routes, and emergency signage.
Balcony Safety: Balcony regulations require that railings are at least 1 metre high and have no gaps greater than 10 cm, and no structures (like benches or fixed furniture) on balconies create climbing hazards that could pose safety risks.
Fuel Safety: Proper handling and maintenance of fossil fuel-burning appliances are vital to avoid the risk of carbon monoxide buildup, especially in accommodation spaces.
Supplier Standards: Suppliers, especially those in transportation, high-risk activities (like excursions), and aviation or marine services, need to have safety management systems in place. A lack of proper documentation or untrained staff can lead to operational issues. Legal requirements, like liability insurance, should be thoroughly checked, and suppliers should go beyond just meeting local laws to ensure comprehensive safety and service standards.
Accidents & Reporting: Prompt internal reporting of accidents is vital, even if official reports take longer to arrive. Learning from these incidents and implementing corrective actions is necessary to prevent future issues.
Best Practices: Operators should have plans in place and regularly review them. Implementing a safety management system and monitoring patterns (including near misses) is key to maintaining a safe environment. Suppliers should be proactive in responding to safety requests and be open to feedback for improvement.
Continuous Improvement: It’s about embedding safety practices into the company culture and collaborating with peers and competitors to enhance industry standards. The approach should move beyond ticking boxes to making real, meaningful changes in operations.
Lloyd Figgins, The TRIP Group
This section provides an overview of how global events impact the travel and tourism sector, particularly in terms of risk management and preparedness.
Geopolitics and Ecopolitics: The war in Ukraine serves as an example of how geopolitical events can affect global economics (ecopolitics). The rise in the price of turkey, for instance, is linked to Ukraine’s grain exports, showing how conflicts can have far-reaching impacts. Lloyd stressed the importance of understanding these events in their broader economic and political contexts.
Financial Risks to Travel: Lloyd highlighted the financial risks to the travel industry, citing increased interest rates, tariffs, inflation, and fuel costs. These factors can affect consumer spending on travel and tourism, which poses a significant risk to the sector.
Rising Terrorism: Lloyd anticipates a rise in terrorism affecting tourism, particularly state-funded terrorism from countries like Iran, which have targeted tourism in the past. This is a concern not just for conflict zones but also globally, citing incidents in places like Buenos Aires.
Pre-Travel Planning: He emphasises the importance of thorough pre-travel planning, such as gathering threat intelligence, understanding the risks of specific destinations, and preparing for unexpected events (e.g., strikes, local protests, or disruptions like wildfires).
Emergency Response and Evacuation Plans: Having robust emergency response and evacuation plans is crucial. In the event of a crisis, operators should ensure they are prepared to support travellers by providing accommodations, facilitating evacuations, or offering shelter-in-place plans.
Training for Crisis Situations: Lloyd underscores the importance of training for both operational teams and those on the ground. Training should prepare staff for high-pressure situations, ensuring they are well-equipped to handle incidents effectively. The management of travel risks should not be outsourced. Organisations need to have full control and oversight to ensure swift and effective responses during emergencies. It’s vital to practice crisis management through simulations and training. This helps teams respond under pressure, mimicking real-world scenarios where decisions need to be made quickly.