At Holiday Tours, we’ve seen first-hand how today’s business travel landscape has evolved. Risks are more complex, traveller expectations are higher, and organisations can no longer rely on basic protocols to keep their people safe. As your travel management partner — and part of the global BCD Travel network — we help companies build a duty of care strategy that is proactive, people-centric, and robust enough to respond to the unexpected.
When employees travel on behalf of the organisation, the responsibility to safeguard them extends far beyond booking flights and hotels. Duty of care is both a legal obligation and a moral commitment. It means protecting your employees’ physical safety, mental wellbeing, and sense of security throughout every stage of the journey — before, during, and after a trip.
In an environment shaped by geopolitical uncertainty, extreme weather events, health risks, and logistical disruptions, the ability to respond quickly and confidently has never been more important. Companies that fall short not only face legal or financial repercussions — they risk eroding employee trust.
This is where a trusted travel management partner like Holiday Tours plays a critical role. By combining global intelligence, human expertise, and people-first support systems, we help organisations protect their teams and operate responsibly in an unpredictable world.
What does duty of care mean in business travel?
Duty of care is an employer’s responsibility to anticipate risks and take meaningful steps to keep employees safe while travelling for work. At Holiday Tours, we see it as a set of guiding principles that support responsible, people-centred business travel.
These principles include:
- Pre-trip risk assessment and planning – understanding potential safety, health, and logistical challenges before travel begins
- Cultural and situational awareness – preparing travellers to navigate local norms and environments confidently
- Real-time monitoring and response – keeping a pulse on global developments and acting swiftly when issues arise
- 24/7 emergency support – ensuring travellers always have access to immediate help
- Comprehensive travel insurance and medical coverage – providing reassurance that employees are protected wherever they go
Rather than a rigid checklist, these principles guide proactive care, clear communication, and human-centred support at every stage of travel.
They illustrate how Holiday Tours helps organisations anticipate, prepare for, and respond to travel risks while keeping people at the centre of every decision.
why duty of care matters more than ever
1. Travel risks are increasing
Global travel has become increasingly unpredictable. According to the World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report, factors such as geopolitical tensions, climate-related disruptions, and public health threats are rising year on year. Even routine trips can quickly become complex.
This makes proactive duty of care essential: organisations must anticipate risks, plan accordingly, and provide travellers with the guidance and support they need before problems arise.
2. Business traveller wellbeing
At Holiday Tours, traveller wellbeing is central to our Travel Safety Promise. A traveller who feels safe also travels better. Travel-related stress is now a recognised business issue: a study by Opinium Research found that 87% of business travellers experience stress, anxiety, or exhaustion while on the road, and 77% report that this affects their work performance.
Duty of care today goes beyond physical safety — it must also protect mental and emotional wellbeing. By prioritising traveller confidence and comfort, organisations can improve both performance and satisfaction.
3. Legal and reputational risks
Employers can face serious legal consequences if they fail to protect employees abroad. Beyond compliance, lapses in duty of care can damage brand reputation, erode employee trust, and affect talent retention. A strong, visible commitment to duty of care signals that the organisation values its people, not just productivity.
4. Employee retention and loyalty
When employees feel protected, they are more engaged, loyal, and confident representing their organisation abroad. A robust duty of care programme builds trust and demonstrates that the company prioritises people — a key factor in retaining top talent.
5. effeciency in crisis response
A well-designed duty-of-care system ensures swift action when disruptions occur. At Holiday Tours, our 24/7 monitoring and on-ground coordination mean support is mobilised immediately — whether it’s a sudden protest near a hotel, a medical emergency, or a travel disruption. This responsiveness not only protects employees, it strengthens organisational resilience and reassures travellers that help is always available.
How to build a strong duty of care framework
Drawing on decades of corporate travel experience, Holiday Tours recommends building your duty-of-care programme around a few key pillars. Rather than a rigid checklist, these pillars are designed to guide proactive, human-centred action that keeps travellers safe, supported, and confident.
1. Conduct comprehensive travel risk assessments
Before approving any trip, organisations should evaluate:
- Destination safety and political stability
- Health advisories and vaccination requirements
- Local infrastructure and transport reliability
- Traveller profile, including experience level, solo travel, and personal risk considerations
With 40% of business travellers frequently travelling alone (CMAC Business Travel Report 2024), proactive assessment is essential. At Holiday Tours, we combine regional expertise with BCD’s global intelligence to provide actionable insights that help companies plan safer, more confident travel.
2. Provide pre-trip briefings and cultural trainings
Employees should be equipped with practical information about:
- Local customs and cultural norms
- Emergency contacts and escalation procedures
- Company safety protocols
- Vetted accommodation and transport options
Our Travel Safety Promise ensures every briefing is not just informative but empowering. By preparing travellers for their destination, we help reduce anxiety and improve both performance and overall travel experience.
3. Implement real-time traveller tracking and alerts
Visibility is critical to effective duty of care. Tracking tools enable organisations to:
- Know where employees are travelling
- Send instant alerts when risks arise
- Respond quickly to emergencies
Holiday Tours combines ethical tracking with human expertise, ensuring data is used solely for safety and that travellers always have immediate access to real specialists when situations evolve.
4. Ensure 24/7 emergency support and response systems
Travel disruptions don’t follow office hours. Employees should always have access to:
- Round-the-clock emergency helplines
- Local support teams
- Medical assistance and evacuation coordination
Our 24/7 monitoring and on-ground coordination ensure support is mobilised immediately when disruptions occur, protecting travellers and giving organisations confidence that help is always available.
5. Strengthen travel insurance and medical coverage
Insurance should provide coverage for:
- Medical treatment and hospitalisation
- Emergency evacuation and repatriation
- Trip interruptions or delays
Many organisations discover coverage gaps after incidents — a costly oversight. Holiday Tours works with companies to identify gaps and ensure travellers are fully protected.
6. Review, report, and improve
Effective duty of care is an ongoing process. Post-trip reviews, incident reporting, and traveller feedback allow organisations to refine policies and improve compliance. Companies that regularly audit their travel programmes report faster crisis response times and higher traveller confidence.
By integrating these pillars into a consultative, people-first approach, Holiday Tours helps organisations move beyond compliance toward a duty-of-care programme that truly safeguards and empowers travellers.
The challenge: Managing duty of care internally is difficult
Duty of care spans HR, Legal, Travel, Risk Management, and Finance.
Most organisations lack:
- 24/7 global support networks
- Up-to-date risk intelligence
- Negotiated medical and logistical partnerships
- In-house expertise for emergency response
This is why partnering with a specialist matters.
How Holiday Tours strengthens your duty of care strategy
At Holiday Tours, we go beyond logistics. Our approach to duty of care is human-centred, proactive, and grounded in decades of corporate travel expertise. We partner with organisations to create travel programmes that protect people, build confidence, and ensure business continuity.
1. We support you from planning to post-trip review
We work with your organisation to:
- Assess travel risks in advance
- Plan safe and efficient travel itineraries
- Ensure vetted accommodation and transport partners
- Provide real-time monitoring and traveller tracking
- Deliver 24/7 global assistance
2. Human touch, not just technology
While technology enhances visibility and efficiency, real safety comes from human expertise. Your employees aren’t left to navigate emergencies through chatbots or generic hotlines — they are supported by our 24/7 travel support team and on-ground coordination specialists who understand the situation and respond immediately.
- This combination of technology and human care delivers:
- Faster response times when urgent situations arise
- Clear, actionable guidance under pressure
- Empathetic support to help travellers feel reassured during crises
3. Global network strength
Our established global and regional partnerships ensure consistent safety standards across all destinations. From vetted hotels to reliable local transportation and trusted emergency partners, we make sure your employees are supported wherever they travel.
This means:
- Safer hotels with vetted standards
- Reliable local transportation for seamless travel
- Medical assistance networks ready to respond
- Crisis management partners to handle emergencies efficiently
By leveraging these partnerships, Holiday Tours provides organisations with confidence that duty of care is upheld globally, without compromise.
4. Integrated policy and reporting tools
Our reporting tools provide visibility into travel spend, compliance, and safety metrics, empowering organisations to make better-informed decisions.
We help organisations track:
- Travel expenditure
- Policy compliance
- Traveller location data
- Incident history and trends
This insight allows companies to refine duty-of-care operations over time, improve traveller safety, and strengthen overall programme effectiveness.
Ready to strengthen your duty of care strategy?
Protecting your employees is not just a compliance requirement — it’s a commitment to their wellbeing and your organisation’s reputation. When your people feel safe, supported, and confident, they perform better, travel with assurance, and represent your organisation with pride.
These principles guide how Holiday Tours helps organisations anticipate, prepare for, and respond to travel risks, ensuring every business trip is safer, smoother, and more productive.
Our travel specialists are ready to partner with you — whether you’re refining existing policies or establishing duty-of-care foundations from the ground up, we combine global expertise, responsive support, and a people-first approach to deliver real peace of mind.
TRAVEL SAFELY AND SMARTLY WITH HOLIDAY TOURS
REACH OUT TO US AT +603 2303 9100 (PRESS 3) OR [email protected]
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