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21 May, 2016

Terror Attacks Spark Fears of Veteran Travellers by More than 50%, New Study Shows

ALEXANDRIA Va., May 20, 2016 – The Association of Corporate Travel Executives expresses its condolences to the families of those lost aboard EgyptAir MS804 flight from Paris to Cairo. While the cause remains unknown at this time, this crash will create fear and anxiety to travellers considering the rise in number of terrorist attacks.

In a recent study of veteran travellers, ACTE found that terror attacks stoke fears by more than 50%. According to an online ACTE survey of 606 travellers worldwide from March 17 to April 4, 2016:

  • 56% of respondents were moderately to severely anxious about a terrorism threat during business travel.
  • 58% said they were more fearful about terrorism than they were this time last year.
  • 53% of seasoned travellers are moderately to greatly concerned about an in-flight terrorist incident.

“Until we know definitively what caused the EgyptAir crash, people inevitably will think terrorism. In the world today, even veteran travellers who spend months on business trips are anxious. Probably even more important to them, their families are worried every time they head out of town for work,” said Greeley Koch, executive director for the Association of Corporate Travel Executives.

While the cause of the crash is uncertain, the fact that the last leg of MS804 originated in Paris is worrisome. According to the ACTE survey, France leads the list of countries that are of concern for business travellers, followed by Turkey, Belgium, Syria, Egypt, the United Kingdom, Iraq and the United States.

The recovery time after a mass shooting, hostage taking or plane crash also plays on traveller psyche. Forty-five percent of ACTE respondents said that significant fear lasts for up to a month after an attack; 65% said the effects linger for up to three months.

For more insights on recent traveller behavior, click here.

About ACTE: The Association of Corporate Travel Executives is a non-profit educational and research organization serving the global business travel industry in 70 countries. Since 1988, ACTE has provided travel managers with hundreds of programs dedicated to improving business travel, lowering travel costs and increasing corporate revenue. With offices in Asia, Australia, Canada, Europe and the U.S. as well as representation in Latin America, South America, and Africa, ACTE leads the business travel industry with events worldwide.