Know before you go
The British ‘Know Before You Go’ campaign and the Australian ‘Smartraveller’ initiative are just two examples of government campaigns designed to help their citizens stay healthy and safe on their travels, and to make them aware of local laws and customs. But just how successful are they? And how could they be improved? Patrick Truss attempts to find out
First published in ITIJ 128, September 2011
The British ‘Know Before You Go’ campaign and the Australian ‘Smartraveller’ initiative are just two examples of government campaigns designed to help their citizens stay healthy and safe on their travels, and to make them aware of local laws and customs. But just how successful are they? And how could they be improved? Patrick Truss attempts to find out
Every year, millions of people across the world enjoy safe, fun holidays, yet there are also those who get into difficulties while abroad. Such difficulties range from illness, visa problems or inadequate travel insurance, right through to arrest and imprisonment, and consular offices and embassies can offer advice and assistance in these cases. However, prevention is always better than cure, and many governments have established campaigns to heighten awareness among travellers of the need to take precautions and respect local laws and customs.
The UK Government’s ongoing Know Before You Go (KBYG) campaign is just one example. Launched in 2001 by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), KBYG promotes several core messages to travellers, including the need to take out travel insurance, visit their GP before departing and to tell people where they’re going, particularly if visiting hostile or dangerous environments. While, of course, it is the individual travellers themselves who are responsible for their own welfare, consular services are there to help people who get into trouble overseas.
The KBYG campaign is backed by a broad range of partners, including travel insurance companies, airlines, travel agents and tour operators, who spread the campaign’s message to travellers both before and during their visit. This broad composition ensures the campaign reaches a wide audience, which is key to reducing the number of people who get into trouble overseas, and also shows that the goals of the KBYG campaign are shared by the travel insurance industry, which plays a major part in its ongoing development.
The Australian Smartraveller initiative, established in 2003, is also backed by partners from the travel insurance industry and promotes a similar set of messages, recognising that citizens are travelling abroad in ever-greater numbers to both traditional holiday destinations and more exotic locations. Both the Smartraveller and KBYG websites stress that other countries may have a very different penal code, and while consular officials will do all they can to ensure their citizens are treated fairly if arrested, they cannot circumvent the law.
The fact that travel insurance amongst British travellers has increased steadily over the past few years is a good indicator that the work of the campaign and its partners is proving effective
To assess the effectiveness of its campaigns, KBYG conducts independent research, which has shown that its campaigns are ‘well received and reach a high proportion of the UK population’. Says Phil Lord of the FCO: “In addition, we commission surveys to monitor changes in travellers’ behaviour and attitudes. The results help act as an indicator on whether the campaign messages are having an impact. The fact that travel insurance amongst British travellers has increased steadily over the past few years is a good indicator that the work of the campaign and its partners is proving effective.”
Heady days of summer
In December 2001, the number of Britons imprisoned abroad hit a then record high of 1,543, with much of the increase attributed to the growing number of women arrested for drugs trafficking. By September 2009 this had grown to 2,582; however, while clearly a concern, this does not in itself represent the failure of the KBYG campaign, which has to be assessed in broader terms. This includes looking at its impact on key demographics, particularly younger travellers, who account for a significant proportion of cases requiring consular assistance. The UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office’s (FCO) annual ‘British Behaviour Abroad’ report, first published in 2007, is a good place to start. The 2007 report found that the highest number of consular incidents occurred in Spain, the country which received the most British tourists after France, and on the surface little seemed to have changed by 2010, despite the FCO’s efforts. Spain again recorded the highest number of consular incidents, with a particularly high number of hospitalisations and cases of rape or sexual assault.
Many Britons hospitalised abroad find themselves liable for medical fees as a result of inadequate travel insurance and statistics from a recent survey by online company travel insurance direct suggest that many Australians are similarly unprepared. The survey found that only one third of Australians check government travel advisories before booking their overseas holidays, while 38 per cent seek no travel safety advice at all. A large proportion of people seek advice from friends and family, travel websites, and also from their insurers.
This, of course, is better than nothing, but for people travelling to remote or politically volatile countries it is unlikely to give them an accurate picture of the situation they will find on arrival. This is a real concern for Ian Jackson, the company’s General Manager. “Being fully aware of the risks of travelling is absolutely essential and the government’s advice on the Smartraveller website should always be considered carefully. It’s not only important for your personal safety, it can also affect your insurance,” he warns.
The FCO report highlights a number of such cases, including people requiring medical treatment after falling off uninsured quad bikes, and others who were hospitalised after falling over due to excessive alcohol consumption. Insurers will not always provide cover in these kinds of cases; one instance highlighted in the FCO report was of a young man who fell off a roof in Cyprus and fractured his spine while drunk - the insurer refused to pay for the air ambulance required to get him home, leaving his family to pay the £30,000 costs.
Younger travellers
These kinds of cases are more common among younger people, a key target group for the KBYG campaign, yet they remain among the hardest to reach. The growth of budget airlines has made international travel increasingly accessible; many young people travel to package holiday destinations, which alongside being relatively close to Britain, often attract large numbers of tourists from fairly similar backgrounds, and this perceived cultural familiarity can lead people to feel that they don’t really need to research their destination.
As a more geographically isolated country, Australians have to travel much further than Britons before they reach foreign climes, so many choose to stay for longer periods. The travel insurance direct survey suggests that Australian travelling for a longer duration take more heed of their Government’s advice; 40 per cent of those who were away for a month or more said they checked the Smartraveller site, compared to only 32 per cent of those who travelled for shorter time periods.
The 'Mess Up, Miss Out' campaign was run in collaboration with major tour operators to encourage young people to consider the consequences of their behaviour
These figures don’t tell the full story however, and there are significant variations amongst sub-sections of the travelling population in both Britain and Australia, particularly according to age. Older travellers tend to research their destination thoroughly, have a broad range of previous experience to draw upon, and in general avoid undue risk. By contrast younger travellers, many of them away from home for the first time, are far less likely to check Government advice before departing.
As part of KBYG the FCO runs mini-campaigns specifically directed at these hard to reach groups. The ‘Mess Up, Miss Out’ campaign was run in collaboration with major tour operators to encourage people to consider the consequences of their behaviour; e-mails were sent out to holidaymakers before departure, tour representatives gave advice in their welcome speeches and safety messages were promoted on posters, brochures and on Frisbees, reaching over 500,000 travellers.
The campaign led to a reduction in consular cases, while other mini-campaigns have had a similarly positive impact, such as the ‘Be On The Ball’ campaign which provided maps, a checklist of travel tips and information on local laws and customs to fans travelling to the 2010 football World Cup in South Africa. Prior to the tournament there were real concerns about the crime rate in the country and the potential for football-related violence, but the event itself was relatively trouble-free.
The success of the campaign was such that there are now plans to use the ‘On The Ball’ theme for future campaigns, including for the upcoming rugby World Cup in New Zealand. Many British students travel abroad following exams and major sporting events often attract large numbers of visitors, so peak periods for certain groups of travellers can be identified. By providing information relevant to these groups, the KBYG campaign has helped reduce the burden on consular services.
Travel to remote destinations
Advising people travelling to remote or distant places presents a different set of challenges to the KBYG and Smartraveller campaigns. These people tend to be better prepared and more informed about the nature of their destination, but they face a far wider range of risks, such as from the wildlife and the local environment, or from emerging health issues. Additionally, such locations may be out of range of modern means of communication, meaning what would be routine problems at home quickly become more severe.
Both the KBYG and Smartraveller campaigns offer detailed advice through their websites for travellers to all destinations, covering everything from the political situation to any potential medical risks. However, sometimes the thirst for adventure outweighs safety considerations, particularly amongst young people, and if they do get into trouble in remote locations they may require specialist assistance; medical facilities may be limited, transport infrastructures undeveloped and the weather conditions risky.
Experienced travellers are aware of the risks involved in travelling to remote areas, but when circumstances change people can still be caught out. Every year around 600 British people are rescued from drowning in Australia, often caught out by unexpectedly strong currents, while many people also travel to the outback, where weather conditions can change quickly. The FCO advises people travelling to these kinds of remote areas to plan the trip carefully, follow local advice and let people know where you are planning to go and when you expect to arrive.
It is difficult to assess the impact this advice is having on the behaviour of travellers. The 2010 British Behaviour Abroad report showed that the total number of consular cases in Thailand, India and Australia, all countries popular with British travellers, had dropped significantly since 2007. However, it should be acknowledged that this period also saw a drop in the number of people travelling to those countries and that some statistics stayed high, such as the total of arrests in Thailand.
GAP year travel
Another key target group for the KBYG campaign are students who have decided to spend a year between school and university, or university and work, travelling the world or doing charity work abroad. This group in particular are keen to discover completely new destinations and do things that they couldn’t at home, seeing travel problems almost as a badge of honour. Often this is just running out of money or suffering food poisoning, but sometimes students encounter more serious problems.
The KBYG website has a dedicated GAP year section, with detailed advice on visas, passports and health, as well on practical issues like staying in touch and how to manage your money. This is supplemented by clear advice for people on adventure activities, such as bungee-jumping, white water rafting, or longer-term trips like mountain trekking. The campaign again stresses the needs to take out comprehensive travel insurance, which allows travellers to make the most of their trip.
Improvements to the campaign could include the provision of more specific contact details and opinions of medical facilities and transport services
Several insurance companies seek to minimise the risk involved in insuring travellers through global pre-deployment reports, using specialist intelligence gathering and medical risk assessing teams to produce customised analysis. These reports take into account all the relevant factors, including the destination, the individual’s background and the nature of the trip, expertise which is invaluable to the KBYG campaign.
The goal of reducing the number of travellers who get into trouble abroad is beyond any one single organisation, and requires broad cooperation between industry, charities and government. KBYG brings together over 400 organisations, including health, telecoms and insurance companies, forming an extensive network that promotes the campaign’s key messages to as broad an audience as possible and provides regular feedback on its progress and areas in which it could be improved.
Minimising risk
It is impossible to eliminate all risk from travel, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be minimised, and government campaigns have an important role to play in making information available and providing advice to citizens. “The KBYG campaign provides good advice and an effective general overview,” says Juan Peña Núñez, Development Manager at CEGA. “However, as a ‘one size fits all’ service, it can’t give all the answers and it is still essential for travellers to carry out their own supplementary travel research, using reputable sources.”
This is particularly true if travellers are going to remote locations. However, such locations are still often within the reach of modern communications networks, and Peña Núñez believes the KBYG campaign could make better use of such technologies. “Improvements to the campaign could include the provision of more specific contact details and opinions of medical facilities and transport services, together with an iPhone application. These are provided by its very effective French counterpart,” he continues.
Efficient use of technology could also help promote best practice and iron out inconsistencies in the level of consular services provided around the world. “Many consular services and embassies abroad are very helpful to travellers in need whilst others are less so, suggesting that links between the government and these services could be strengthened to create more consistency,” suggests Peña Núñez.
Lord of the UK’s FCO explained that the KBYG campaign is constantly evolving and that it is vital that each piece of activity must utilise the right communication channel for the relevant audience. Very recently, the FCO posted a video that provided insight into consular incidents across the globe over a real 24-hour period. “The video,” said Lord, “plotted the location of thousands of incidents involving British nationals with individual anecdotes from a selection of countries detailing specific cases. The map generated a great deal of media interest, including being embedded on two news websites, showing there is a real appetite for these materials.” Such information is important in order to help people understand what level of help the FCO can provide. Social media is a vital tool for communicating with the public, according to Lord, and along with the FCO’s effort to engage with Facebook and Twitter, there is also an API product, which was launched in order to take travel advice to British nationals while they are preparing for their holidays. “This widget is offering to KBYG campaign partners who host it on their websites and stream live travel advice,” said Lord. “In addition, we have recently launched a trial service with mobile network provider Vodafone UK to deliver emergency text messages to customers in the event of a crisis. The new service enables us to deliver live travel safety messages to as many people as quickly as possible.”