The Safer Tourism Foundation raised concerns about the “holiday head” mindset where tourists often overlook dangers whilst on vacation.
The charity analysed travel data from 2022 and 2023 collected from its Safer Tourism Pledge partners, including Tui and Hotelplan, and found fewer than 1pc of all trips reported any incident.
Kathy Atkinson, the Foundation’s CEO, stated that many incidents happen due to a mismatch between a traveller’s physical capabilities and their chosen activities. “We always encourage travellers to make sure they have the right travel insurance for them, so that if anything does go wrong, they are supported appropriately.”
She highlighted that optimism bias is prominent during holidays, leading travellers to believe that they are immune to harm, hence the term ‘Holiday Head.’
Slips, tripping and falling were the most common incidents reported in the data, making up nearly one-fifth of non-Covid related issues. Allergic reactions, mainly to food, are an increasing concern. She noted: “an increased proportion of bike accidents, particularly on group rides where there is a gravelly descent, where people are perhaps distracted by other riders or when they are attempting to reach their water bottle or adjust a piece of kit such as a GoPro”.
Safer Tourism Foundation has shared its findings with its partners to discuss and enhance safety prevention measures.
