Travel and tourism is one of the world’s biggest industries.
The report Healthy Travel by Rachel Briggs and Najibullah Habib, though mainly about the health risks to do with travelling, noted: “But the growth in travel does not come without a price. In recent years, there has been an understandable focus on the security risks of travel, especially those relating to terrorism.” Multi-national companies, operating in unstable environments, may send staff to a country without much law and order, yet that country still has an international airport.” The report points out that “as we become more confident as travellers we may develop a false sense of security; when we travel for pleasure we may choose to ignore the potential dangers; and with the strong focus in recent years on the security risks of travel there is a possibility that health risks will be overlooked”. If a company exec is laid up in hospital, it’s a problem whether the cause is a stabbing from an ATM hold-up, or drinking tap water. Shorter business stays do not mean smaller risks. The report quotes Adrian Gorham, Security Manager for O2: “The health of our people is key to the business – people are our key asset. But business travel is often arranged at short notice, which can make injections difficult. We therefore try to inoculate our frequent flyers, but it is often difficult to predict who will need to travel.” Rachel Briggs is Head of International Programmes at think-tank Demos. Healthy Travel is a project between think-tanks The Foreign Policy Centre and Demos, The Nuffield Trust and consultancy Control Risks Group. A research seminar was held at The Nuffield Trust in October 2003. Healthy Travel by Rachel Briggs and Najibullah Habib, published 2004, £7.95, plus £1 postage.
