The Safety Factor

Last night while heading out to the MeadowLands sports complex in New Jersey for a U2 concert, my date mentioned that her mother was concerned about her going to a stadium with all the recent news about terrorist plots. I have to admit, it had never occurred to me and rarely does, whether I’m going to a large public event or traveling. Perhaps being a New Yorker, I’ve become inured to threats of terrorism—this week, with the UN General Session taking place a few blocks from our Manhattan offices, all I felt was inconvenienced by the additional traffic and street closings. (Although I admit that the beefed-up police presence is always a good thing to see.)

But clearly most travelers—and many of your clients—take these things much more seriously. A study coming out next week from the FIA notes that tourists rate safety as their number-one concern when choosing their holiday destination. That surprised me, though it probably shouldn’t. Lack of safety whether due to crime, the risk of natural disasters, sanitary risks or terrorism, was the principle reason to rule out a destination, and scored highest in the survey with 8.5 points out of a possible 10.

How do you address safety with your clients? Does the issue come up often? While terrorism per se may not be their specific concern, crime or health issues may be (with this past year in Mexico being an unfortunate example of perception vs. reality).


Let us know what you’re hearing from your clients and how you assuage their fears. Visit AgentNation and share your thoughts.