Mummy Mafojane | General Manager | FCM Travel Solutions | mail me |
The UAE has lifted its airspace restrictions. In addition, the US-Iran ceasefire appears to be holding as of 18 May 2026. Emirates has also restored 96% of its global network.
Meanwhile, other Gulf carriers, including Etihad, Qatar and Saudia, continue rebuilding operations. Capacity constraints are also gradually easing. By most operational measures, conditions are improving. However, traveller confidence tells a different story. Rebuilding traveller confidence remains a major challenge for the travel industry despite operational recovery.
Geopolitical conflict continues to affect travel decisions. Fresh drone attacks have also increased uncertainty. As a result, travel managers are rerouting travellers, changing itineraries, delaying non-essential trips and reviewing duty of care policies more carefully.
What business travellers are actually feeling
South Africans are naturally resilient. COVID-19, years of load shedding, economic volatility and the loss of multiple domestic carriers have created travellers who understand disruption. But business travel complicates the picture.
When a company sends you somewhere, a grounded flight becomes more than an inconvenience. It quickly raises questions around duty of care, insurance, work and family obligations, corporate liability, and personal safety all at once.
Global Rescue’s recent Traveller Sentiment and Safety Surveys show that 56% of travellers feel more concerned about personal safety than a year ago.
The travel risk and crisis organisation also found the following:
- 82% of travellers express concern about personal security risks abroad. These include kidnapping, extortion and violent crime.
- 38% describe today’s travel risk environment as unpredictable.
- 36% believe international travel is more dangerous than before 2020.
- 31% of seasoned travellers identify illness or injury abroad as their biggest concern for 2026. Civil unrest or terrorism follows at 21%.
Rebuilding traveller confidence, therefore, requires more than operational stability. Companies must also address emotional and psychological concerns surrounding international travel.
Can bosses still dictate where and when staff travel?
Legally, in South Africa, employers can generally direct where and when employees travel for work. However, the request must remain reasonable and align with the employment contract. In return, employers must cover costs, ensure safe working conditions and respect employees’ fundamental rights.
Practically, the duty of care has evolved beyond a simple clause in an employment contract. ISO 31030, the international standard for travel risk management, now provides a benchmark. Courts use this benchmark to determine whether an employer acted reasonably.
The standard requires senior leadership ownership. Organisations must define, document, approve and regularly review their risk appetite. It also requires pre-trip risk assessments, real-time tracking and credible incident response plans. In addition, the standard explicitly covers psychological wellbeing rather than only physical safety.
For South African employers, travel decisions can no longer happen in isolation from the traveller. A reasonable instruction must be carefully considered, properly risk-assessed, fully supported and openly discussed with the employee travelling.
Travellers want clarity, choice and reassurance that someone has carefully considered the trip before departure. The companies succeeding in rebuilding traveller confidence have shifted from pure compliance toward meaningful conversation. Pre-trip briefings, transparent route options and clearly understood escalation paths are no longer optional. They now form the foundation of a strong travel programme.
The trust “signals” travellers are looking for
The disruption experienced in late February and early March proved something important. Human-led crisis response, supported by experienced travel managers, remains essential.
Automated tools are brilliant, and they certainly speed up response times. However, travellers still turn to human support during genuine disruption. A 24-hour line answered by an experienced consultant remains a valuable feature of a corporate travel programme.
Reliable and consistent technology also strengthens trust over time. Rebuilding traveller confidence depends heavily on systems that deliver accurate and dependable information. Travellers lose confidence quickly when booking systems, itinerary tools, expense platforms and tracking apps fail or provide conflicting information.
In conclusion
An integrated system, from booking platform to traveller app, should remain a reliable source of information. It forms an important part of the duty of care.
Finally, companies must move beyond symbolic gestures around traveller wellness and wellbeing. Travellers notice the difference immediately. Flexible rebooking policies, openness to bleisure travel where appropriate, proper pre-trip briefings and post-trip recovery time all demonstrate genuine care. The programmes that will thrive over the next year are the ones focused on traveller confidence. Get rebuilding traveller confidence right, and the rest follows.
