The Changing Face of Business Travel in 2025: Top Threats and How Companies Can Adapt

The landscape of business travel is constantly transforming, and while the shift to virtual meetings and remote work may have temporarily stunted the growth of corporate travel, the rise of ‘bleisure’ travel, heightened employee expectations around safety and wellbeing, and an evolving risk landscape have created both challenges and opportunities for businesses in 2025. We take a look at the key shifts in business travel and outlines the top threats for 2025 that companies must address to protect their employees, reputation, and bottom line.

As we all know, the business travel sector took a severe hit during the pandemic, as border closures, lockdowns, and the shift to virtual meetings reduced the need for face-to-face interactions. However, the landscape has shifted dramatically in recent years. According to a Mastercard survey from 2023, while virtual meetings remain popular, business travel is still seen as essential by the vast majority of corporate leaders, with 90% considering it crucial for growth.

By 2023, outbound business trips had increased by 68.95% from the previous year, with projections for continued growth into 2025 and beyond. While air traffic has recovered, with outbound business trips expected to reach 276.63 million by 2028.

As businesses embrace the return of travel, they must contend with rising employee expectations regarding safety, wellbeing, and work-life balance. Employees are increasingly looking for robust risk management solutions, comprehensive insurance policies, and proactive support when they travel for business.

Key Considerations for Companies
According to the SAP Concur Global Business Travellers Report 2024, 67% of business travellers view travel as essential to their careers, and 51% enjoy the experience. However, the report also reveals that 92% of travellers would decline trips if they felt unsafe or if their concerns regarding social issues, environmental impact, or work-life balance weren’t addressed.

The pandemic has underscored the importance of proactive duty of care, with employees now asking more detailed questions about their safety and what support will be available in case of emergencies. As a result, employees expect companies to mitigate risks through comprehensive travel risk management strategies, including up-to-date insurance policies and access to emergency support. Businesses must align with international standards such as ISO 31030, which provides guidelines for managing risks associated with business travel. By implementing best practices in travel risk management, companies can ensure the safety, health, and wellbeing of their employees while travelling.

How Companies can Respond to Changing Business Travel Trends

1. Offer Tailored Travel Risk Management Solutions
One-size-fits-all policies no longer suffice in the modern business travel landscape. Tailored risk management solutions are essential to addressing the diverse needs of travellers. By providing personalised training, specific risk assessments, and customised support tools, businesses can ensure that their employees are well-prepared for their trips. Technology and Tools such as traveller tracking or Incident management apps, offers real-time travel information, global communication lines and emergency assistance These are invaluable resources for businesses aiming to enhance their travel risk management practices.

Find out more about our own solution at www.locate.global.

2. Prioritise Employee Safety and Wellbeing
Employees today expect their safety to be a top priority when travelling for business. This means that companies need to implement comprehensive travel risk management policies that cover all aspects of employee safety, from pre-travel briefings to 24/7 emergency assistance. Employers should provide mental health support, counselling services, and access to online health consultations, recognising that travel can have both positive and negative impacts on employees’ mental wellbeing. Moreover, individual tailored risk assessments should be provided to employees based on their specific travel destinations, ensuring they are well-prepared for any potential risks, such as political instability, natural disasters, or health challenges.

3. Address the Rise of ‘Bleisure’ Travel
The trend of ‘bleisure’ travel, where employees combine business trips with leisure days, is on the rise. According to Expedia’s 2022 Q4 Traveler Insights Report, 76% of business travellers planned to add leisure days to their business trips. While this can offer employees a well-needed break, it introduces complexities when it comes to insurance coverage and risk management.
To mitigate risks, companies should establish clear policies outlining the boundaries of business and leisure activities and ensure that insurance coverage extends to the leisure portion of the trip. Employers should also communicate the importance of understanding the risks associated with leisure travel, especially in high-risk destinations.

Stay Ahead of Emerging Threats
As the world becomes more unpredictable, businesses must stay vigilant against emerging threats that could affect their travellers. Some of the top threats for 2025 include:

• Cyber Threats: Cyberattacks are growing in sophistication, with mobile devices and public Wi-Fi networks becoming prime targets for cybercriminals. To protect sensitive information, businesses should encourage the use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), encrypted devices, and multi-factor authentication during travel.
• Crisis Situations and Emergency Evacuations: World Travel Protection reports a 17% rise in emergency evacuations and repatriations this year. As natural disasters, geopolitical conflicts, and other emergencies continue to escalate, businesses must have robust crisis response plans in place and ensure that employees are familiar with the resources available to them.
• Extreme Weather Events: Severe weather disruptions are becoming more frequent, with a 47% increase in incidents compared to 2023. Businesses should prepare employees for potential disruptions by monitoring weather forecasts, offering contingency plans, and providing real-time support during emergencies.
• Misinformation Campaigns: Misinformation campaigns, often fuelled by social media platforms and state-sponsored actors, pose a growing risk for travellers. Companies should educate employees on how to discern trustworthy information and advise them to rely on official sources, such as government travel advisories and respected global news outlets.
• Kidnapping Risks: Political instability and organised crime in certain regions increase the risk of kidnapping for business travellers. Employers should conduct thorough risk assessments for high-risk destinations and develop a security plan to support employees.

As business travel continues to rebound in 2025, companies must adapt to the changing landscape by prioritising employee safety, addressing emerging threats, and providing tailored travel risk management solutions. For more information on how to implement robust business travel risk management strategies or to learn more about our services, please contact us at enquiries@priavosecurity.com.

Resources:
https://www.itij.com/latest/long-read/changing-face-business-travel
https://www.travolution.com/news/top-travel-threats-in-2025/