Travel hospitality

Travel Association Releases New Health-and-Safety Standards for Operators

Travel Association Unveils Global Health-and-Safety Standards to Future-Proof Tour Operators

London, United Kingdom – 2 December 2025 The UK-based Travel Association (ABTA) today published the 2025 edition of its Tourism Accommodation Health & Safety Technical Guide, a 268-page protocol bible that will be mandatory reading for the 3,900 tour operators, cruise lines and destination management companies that collectively sell £40 billion worth of holidays each year.

The release—unveiled at the World Travel Market in London—consolidates two years of pandemic-era learning into nine operational “pillars” that cover everything from Legionella control in shuttered hotels to heat-stroke prevention on reopened walking tours. According to early modelling by risk-consultancy Tetra, universal adoption could cut operator-related incidents by 28 % and lower guest compensation claims by £110 million within 24 months.

“Consumers no longer just ask where they can go—they ask how safe they will be when they get there,” said Angela Hills, ABTA Head of Destinations. “These standards give every supplier, from a five-star Nile cruiser to a Montenegrin kayak shack, a single checklist that satisfies both UK package-travel regulations and the emerging ISO 31030 guidance on traveller safety.”

The guide arrives as global arrivals rebound to 96 % of 2019 levels but reputational risk remains elevated: a February 2025 Which? survey found 62 % of UK travellers would switch operators if a competitor could prove “demonstrably higher” safety protocols.

Market data behind the move

Legal catalyst: The EU’s new Package Travel & Linked Travel Arrangements Directive enters full enforcement 1 July 2026, raising the maximum operator fine for “foreseeable health-and-safety breaches” to 4 % of annual turnover.
Insurance lever: Lloyd’s of London underwriters have agreed a 7–11 % premium rebate for operators that submit third-party certification against the ABTA guide before 30 June 2026.
Workforce metric: UK hospitality currently has 214,000 vacancies; improved safety scores correlate with a 12 % reduction in staff turnover, according to Deloitte’s 2025 Future of Leisure report.

The guide was stress-tested in 19 countries over six months. Pilot data from Greek island properties showed a 34 % drop in pool-chemical incidents after staff completed the companion e-learning modules, while a Costa Rican zip-line operator cut guest injuries to zero from four the previous season.

“We audited 2,400 pages of local legislation across five continents so our members don’t have to,” Hills told Travel Weekly. “The result is a living document—updated quarterly and QR-coded so a resort engineer can open the latest section on his phone even when offline.”

ABTA has also launched an open-access Incident Tracker dashboard that anonymises and geolocates near-miss reports filed by members, feeding real-time alerts back into the guide. Early adopters include TUI Group, G Adventures and the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association.

About ABTA

ABTA – The Travel Association has represented UK travel agents, tour operators and the wider industry for more than 70 years. Its 3,900 members sign a code of conduct covering financial protection, customer service and sustainability. Resources, training and political advocacy are delivered from offices in London, Edinburgh and Cardiff.