Cybersecurity: A Must Have in the Travel & Tourism Industry
According to the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), around 80% of businesses in the travel and tourism industry are small to medium-sized companies (SMEs). A recent UK government report indicates that, in 2023/24, around 70% of SMEs had fallen victim to cyberattacks. The volume of sensitive data handled by businesses in the tourism industry calls for strong defensive measures. From full names and passport numbers to credit card details, a weak cybersecurity posture has significant financial and reputational consequences.
The travel sector’s reliance on multichannel booking and data sharing across systems significantly expands the attack surface, increasing vulnerabilities for businesses. The impact of cyberattacks can be catastrophic. Businesses face ransomware demands, massive data breaches, identity theft for their customers, as well as SQL injection attacks.
With 74% of CEOs concerned about their organisation’s ability to avert or minimise cyberattacks, building cyber resilience in 2025 should be the centrepiece of businesses’ strategic decisions.
The impact of cyber threats in the travel sector
A single cyberattack can compromise sensitive customer details, including passports, payment information, and travel itineraries, leading to identity theft and financial fraud.
Beyond the negative consequences for customers, attacks can have a lasting impact on organisations as well. Their impact extends beyond financial losses, leading to irreparable reputational damage and undermined customer trust. Ransomware, phishing, and data breaches are common forms of cyberattacks in the travel industry, with airlines, hotels, and booking platforms frequently targeted. Any digital exploit can disrupt operations, delay flights, or cause system outages, significantly impacting both customer trust and business continuity.
At the same time, organisations may have to pay huge regulatory penalties and deal with eroded public trust and overall reputational damage. This can significantly hinder their ability to grow. In fact, cyberattacks can also hinder new customer acquisition. In 2024, 47% of respondents indicated greater difficulty in attracting new customers as the main consequence of cyberattacks.
Key considerations to establish strong data policies
Companies operating in the travel and tourism sector must have robust data policies in place to protect sensitive information as well as comply with regulations. These policies should prioritise security, accessibility, and operational efficiency to ensure a holistic approach.
Data classification and access control should be considered as starting steps to establish solid policies. Businesses should identify and categorise data based on sensitivity and regulatory requirements (e.g., personal, financial, confidential). They can then implement role-based access control (RBAC) and least privilege principles to restrict data access only to authorised users. This can significantly reduce the attack surface for businesses as they can minimise the number of users who can access sensitive data, ensuring it is protected against unauthorised access.
Organisations should ensure that their policies comply with industry regulations such as General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), and ISO 27001 to avoid legal risks. As global regulations continue to evolve, companies must regularly monitor and update their policies to avoid any risks. All this can ensure companies comply with evolving cybersecurity policies and regulations while helping them mitigate data breaches.
Best practices for travel and tourism businesses
To establish a strong cybersecurity foundation, businesses must take a comprehensive approach that integrates advanced security technologies, strategic planning, and daily operational best practices.
Advanced tech adoption
Companies should implement end-to-end encryption for data in storage and in transit to prevent unauthorised access. At the same time, implementing secure cloud storage solutions with multi-factor authentication (MFA) and tokenisation can also help organisations safeguard sensitive information.
Equally important is the use of advanced anomaly detection and continuous monitoring to swiftly identify potential security threats. Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA) enhances these protections by enforcing ongoing authentication, limiting lateral movement, and ensuring that all access requests are continuously validated. Additionally, zero trust focuses on strict access controls to ensure only authorised personnel can deploy patches, reducing the risk of malicious or unauthorised updates.
Strategy and guidelines
While technology can enable businesses to significantly improve security, companies must be prepared to deal with security incidents in case they happen. Organisations should have an incident response plan (IRP) in place to address cyberattacks efficiently and minimise their impact. As a result, businesses can minimise disruption, reduce financial and reputational damage, and ensure a swift recovery. As part of their IRPs, companies should define their escalation protocols to ensure incidents are assessed and categorised based on severity. A well-structured IRP must aim to isolate affected systems and prevent further spread. Companies can also lean on ZTA to limit attacker movement.
Meanwhile, companies should also have clear guidelines in place for data retention, ensuring that information is stored only for as long as necessary to meet compliance requirements and business objectives. Implementing automated detection protocols for outdated data can help reduce security risks.
Awareness to avoid human error
A recent Statista survey revealed that human error was involved in 28% of data breaches worldwide.
Fostering a security-first culture through employee training and awareness is essential, equipping staff with the knowledge to identify threats such as phishing and social engineering attacks. Organising awareness training, conferences, and tests can be of significant help in driving cybersecurity awareness. By embedding these best practices into their data policies, organisations can strengthen their security posture and mitigate risks effectively.
Call to action
Cybersecurity has become a crucial challenge and should be treated as a priority. By implementing best practices, deploying cutting-edge technologies, and providing staff with up-to-date cybersecurity training, travel and tourism businesses can prevent unauthorised access and ensure data system resiliency. Organisations must adopt a holistic cybersecurity approach if they want to remain resilient in the ever-evolving cyber landscape and deal with security risks proactively.
