Nearly 7 in 10 (69 percent) travel buyers believe that female travelers generally face greater risk when traveling for business, according to new research released today and additionally, 61 percent feel it is very important to consider female safety when implementing risk management programs.

Travel to certain countries/cities, sexual harassment and assault or kidnapping were reported as the top safety concerns for women travelers.

“While this research revealed travel buyers are concerned about female business traveler safety, only 18 percent of travel policies specifically address female safety,” said Christle Johnson, GBTA president. “As an industry we need to do more to ensure the safety of our female road warriors, especially as women make up an ever-increasing amount of our business traveler population.”

“We are proud to partner with GBTA on this important research,” said Shobha Shankar, WWStay Co-Founder and COO. “As a long-time advocate and leader in addressing female safety, WWStay has vetted our global list of serviced apartments and have made changes in our technology to highlight those that meet a certain set of criteria with female traveler safety in mind. We hope that this study raises awareness of risks to female travelers, provides the attention these issues deserve, and results in changes and improvements by both the buyer and supplier communities.”

Lodging Safety

Most travel buyers (61 percent) believe it is important to consider female safety when selecting lodging providers. In fact, 63 percent believe the location of lodging is a concern when women travel for business and 54 percent say the type of lodging is also a concern.

Despite this, less than half (44 percent) say their companies recommend female-friendly lodging rooms (i.e. double locks, 3rd floor or higher and 24-hour security).

Duty of Care Fast Facts

• Almost 3 in 5 (57 percent) travel buyers say they have a very good ability to communicate with travelers at all times, rating their ability 8 or higher on a 10-point scale.
• Two-thirds (66 percent) of travel programs offer safety/security resources through a third-party firm.
• One out of five (18 percent) travel buyers say their company does not offer an assistance hotline, a key resource for female travelers.
• Three out of five (61 percent) travel programs “rarely” or “never” provide chauffeured transportation to female travelers.

More Information
Download an infographic here with key highlights from the research. To request an interview with a GBTA or WWStay expert for a deeper dive into this research or a more in-depth discussion on duty of care best practices or lodging/extended stay lodging safety, please contact Colleen Gallagher.

About the Global Business Travel Association
The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) is the world’s premier business travel and meetings trade organization headquartered in the Washington, D.C. area with operations on six continents. GBTA’s 9,000-plus members manage more than $345 billion of global business travel and meetings expenditures annually. GBTA delivers world-class education, events, research, advocacy and media to a growing global network of more than 28,000 travel professionals and 125,000 active contacts. To learn how business travel drives lasting business growth, visit www.gbta.org.