Zurich Insurance Group released its “Business Travel Outlook 2026” on 26 February, surveying 4,000 business travellers across eight countries. The headline: disruption is now the rule, not the exception. Four in five respondents experienced at least one serious disruption in 2025; 43 % feel less safe on the road than before the pandemic.
Natural disasters, geopolitical tensions and social unrest overtook medical incidents as the top causes of emergency assistance. Twenty percent of travellers reported being caught in such events, compared with 13 % who needed medical help. Younger staff (under 35) were most affected, with 56 % saying safety worries make them reconsider accepting trips – a potential talent-mobility headache.
For employers, the findings carry compliance risk. Europe’s Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) and Switzerland’s own Due Diligence Ordinance require companies to map and mitigate employee risks abroad. Zurich warns that inadequate travel-risk management could expose firms to negligence claims and reputational damage.
![New Zurich Insurance survey shows 80 % of executives faced travel disruption in 2025, fuelling demand for stronger duty-of-care programmes]()
To help companies tackle the paperwork side of these obligations, VisaHQ’s Switzerland portal (https://www.visahq.com/switzerland/) offers an end-to-end solution for verifying entry requirements, expediting visa applications and tracking passport validity for every traveller, adding an extra layer of compliance before a trip even begins.
Best-practice recommendations include integrating real-time alerts into booking tools, offering psychological support after traumatic events, and extending insurance to accompanying family members on long assignments. Zurich also notes a 37 % rise in clients purchasing carbon-offset coverage – evidence that ESG goals and duty of care are converging in mobility policies.
The full report provides sector benchmarks that mobility managers can use to justify budget for tracking tech and emergency-response partners ahead of a forecast 6 % rebound in international business trips this year.
Natural disasters, geopolitical tensions and social unrest overtook medical incidents as the top causes of emergency assistance. Twenty percent of travellers reported being caught in such events, compared with 13 % who needed medical help. Younger staff (under 35) were most affected, with 56 % saying safety worries make them reconsider accepting trips – a potential talent-mobility headache.
For employers, the findings carry compliance risk. Europe’s Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) and Switzerland’s own Due Diligence Ordinance require companies to map and mitigate employee risks abroad. Zurich warns that inadequate travel-risk management could expose firms to negligence claims and reputational damage.
To help companies tackle the paperwork side of these obligations, VisaHQ’s Switzerland portal (https://www.visahq.com/switzerland/) offers an end-to-end solution for verifying entry requirements, expediting visa applications and tracking passport validity for every traveller, adding an extra layer of compliance before a trip even begins.
Best-practice recommendations include integrating real-time alerts into booking tools, offering psychological support after traumatic events, and extending insurance to accompanying family members on long assignments. Zurich also notes a 37 % rise in clients purchasing carbon-offset coverage – evidence that ESG goals and duty of care are converging in mobility policies.
The full report provides sector benchmarks that mobility managers can use to justify budget for tracking tech and emergency-response partners ahead of a forecast 6 % rebound in international business trips this year.
