A significant number of travellers are planning three or more international trips in 2024, while as many as 93 pc are sure to make at least one visit overseas in the year, says Global Rescue Winter Traveller Sentiment and Safety Survey.

Travellers are planning three or more trips in 2024, according to the world’s most experienced travellers responding to the Global Rescue Winter Traveller Sentiment and Safety Survey.

In a press statement, Global Rescue, an agency that specialises in providing integrated medical, security, travel risk and crisis management services around the world, says that an overwhelming majority of respondents or 93 pc, are planning international trips this year with 41 pc planning three or more trips and more than half or 52 pc taking one-to-two trips abroad.

“The survey results are a clear indicator, and consistent with expert predictions and travel volumes reported by TSA, that the travel rebound will continue through 2024,” says Dan Richards, CEO of Global Rescue, and who is also a member of the US Travel and Tourism Advisory Board at the US Department of Commerce.

According to the statement, the survey results show that Mexico, Canada, Europe and Africa are the four leading international destinations for travellers. However, a significant number of survey respondents or 66 pc are planning to include new international destinations to visit this year.

The statement adds that Global Rescue surveyed more than 1,500 of its current and former members between January 25-30, 2024. The respondents revealed a variety of behaviours, attitudes and preferences regarding current and future travel. “The traveller’s appetite for exploring the world is increasing. Today’s travellers are travelling boldly and increasingly seeking out new destinations that are unspoiled, less popular, more remote and sometimes a little riskier,” says Richards.

“Adventure travel, luxury travel and other activity-focused segments will continue to see strong growth. Many places are at capacity or are over-subscribed and have waiting lists,” he adds.

The top 10 most frequently mentioned new international destinations travellers are planning to visit are Spain, Africa, Japan, Argentina, Italy, Australia, Greece, Portugal, Greenland and Norway. Many travellers reported planning longer, more adventurous trips. Nearly a quarter or 23 pc of respondents said that since the pandemic ended, they are planning to stay longer on at least one of their international trips in 2024.

One in five respondents or 21 pc are planning more adventurous, immersive trips in 2024 compared to past trips. As many as 83 pc of the respondents said they would travel with friends or family for their trips, but not for all of their trips. Nearly a third or 30 pc said some of their trips would be solo, 19 pc said at least one trip would be on their own with a group of strangers, and 8 pc said one or more trips would be travel with business colleagues.

Travellers’ fears move from illness & accidents to terrorism & civil unrest

Global Rescue says that three years after the Covid-19 pandemic, civil unrest and terrorism are travellers’ leading fears, surpassing accidents or injuries and marking a dramatic attitudinal shift since spring 2023, according to the survey.

It says that more than a third of travellers or 36 pc reported civil unrest and terrorism are the biggest concerns during global trips, reflecting a three-fold increase compared to spring 2023. A quarter of respondents, or 25 pc, said having an accident or illness during a trip was their greatest fear, a significant decrease from spring 2023 when half of travellers, or exactly 50 pc, reported suffering an injury or getting sick was their biggest concern.

“We are seeing an understandable increase in traveller concern worldwide. Nevertheless, international trip takers continue to travel anyway despite the rising threats of civil unrest, war and terrorism,” says Richards.

Travellers are beefing up their trip protection with security advisory and extraction protection. A third of respondents or 34 pc said the war in Ukraine, the Hamas attacks on Israel or other violent conflicts make it more likely they will add security extraction and advisory protection to their travel protection package.

“Traveller uncertainty generally increases traveler demand for emergency medical and security services. Last year, traveller purchases of security and extraction services increased by 36 pc, and we expect that will continue in 2024. We have seen this traveller behaviour since the war in Ukraine, and we are seeing it continue following the attacks on Israel,” says Richards.

Global Rescue says that travellers are seeking more security, and the travel industry is responding. The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is advancing new security screening programmes like the Screening at Speed Programme that enables the scanning of walking passengers, acquiring data through most garments and reliably detecting a wider range of prohibited items regardless of concealment. Hotels are using keyless room entry, elevator access controls and surveillance cameras to increase guest safety. Airbnb users must verify their identity before completing a reservation. Travellers are turning to door wedges, portable door locks and lock lockers for added protection in hotel rooms, adds the statement.