Richard Turen
In my May 4 column ("When a client gets cold feet"), I asked the question, "Should you tell a client not to visit a place they want to go for reasons of safety?"
The answer is: absolutely. I don't have to interview our nation's most respected travel consultants to know what they do soon after waking up every morning -- including weekends. They turn on the news, read the headlines and scour their online feeds and emails.
It is important to know that our clients are safe wherever they are traveling on any given day, that street rioting has not broken out or that a climate event like flooding has not engulfed their destination. That means you need to be a news hound; if you're not, please consider a less challenging profession.
Social media and AI have announced their engagement. Before the marriage takes place, the travel advisor needs to become a truly trusted family advisor. Consulting with clients, telling them the truth about global safety, is one of our biggest challenges.
When I have what I call DS (destination safety) discussions, I usually refer to the Global Peace Index, which is produced by the Institute for Economics and Peace. Most travelers are unaware of this respected annual report that ranks every major country in the world based on the personal safety of residents and visitors.
The majority of our clients, no matter their education or financial background, see the U.S. as a shining example of personal safety for visitors and residents alike. It is important to note that in the latest index, which measures the safety level of countries using 23 qualitative measures, the countries of Iceland, Ireland and New Zealand are the three with the highest overall safety scores.
Sometimes, I may ask a client what the nations of Mongolia, Vietnam, Oman, Romania and East Timor have in common. I then point out that each ranks among the top 50 of the world's safest destinations.
Sadly, the U.S. does not rank in the top 100 nations on the safety scale. We come in at 128 out of 163 countries, lagging behind places like Uganda, Guatemala, the Republic of the Congo and Papua New Guinea.
Do I take this data literally? Of course not. But I want to make the case with clients that for most of us, international travel almost always brings us to a safer place.
Sometimes, client anxiety requires that the flying experience be addressed. Just imagine how many times in the past month our average client has watched video on the news and social media highlighting chaos at our airports and in the air.
We must always emphasize the fact that commercial aviation is one of the safest human activities ever measured. In 2024, for instance, there were 40.6 million worldwide flights with a total of seven fatal accidents. That works out to a fatality risk of one for every 16.7 million flights. That is a lower risk rate than virtually any activity one can engage in on the ground. In fact, one's life expectancy increases when one flies, though not by much, but it is worth pointing out to those who need reassurance.
People have more information today than ever, much of it anxiety-inducing. We need to continue to offer calm, reassuring advice in ways that AI can't even imagine.