Claudia Gualdi, Travel Intelligence Data Team Lead at Riskline
Gen Z out there are looking to have fun along with doing some proactive work when travelling for business. They generally prefer to do their own booking and sustainable options while flying or staying influence their decisions. They expect business travel to fit seamlessly with their lifestyle, prompting companies to offer greater flexibility. Travel Daily Media in conversation with Claudia Gualdi, Travel Intelligence Data Team Lead at Riskline finds out more on Gen Z travel trends, need and access to travel risk intelligence and travel trends for 2026.
Travel Daily Media (TDM): Tell us a bit about Riskline? Why is Travel Risk intelligence so important today?
Claudia Gualdi (CG): In today’s world, travel can be complex due to rising disruptions, climate change, health crises, and the current geopolitical instability.
In this challenging landscape, having access to travel risk intelligence, whether in the form of ‘At a glance’ data or in-depth advisories, can play a vital role in keeping people safe.
While public access to information has never been easier, the reliability and accuracy of sources and facts don’t keep pace. Misleading articles, outdated websites, and the large amount of misinformation shared online often confuse travellers ahead of a trip.
Riskline combines human expertise, AI speed, and wide-ranging open-source intelligence for smarter travel risk insights. Our AI and OSINT proprietary platform monitors 100,000+ sources in real time, in multiple languages, filtering out non-critical data. Our analysts research and verify information from trusted sources, adding clarity and context so travel managers and travellers receive only what’s relevant without information overload.
TDM: Can you share with us which businesses in the Middle East and Asia utilise Riskline data and analysis? What is it that you offer to travel facilitators?
CG: Some of our partners in the Middle East and Asia are Zurich Insurance (Zurich) and TruTrip in Singapore, and ITL World in the United Arab Emirates. In Australia, our clients include World Travel Protection, CTM APAC, Pace First, and ZeroRisk, demonstrating our reach across the broader Asia-Pacific and Middle Eastern regions.
Inbound travel to the Middle East and Asia keeps surging. Growing travel demand is combined with the rising need to support travellers and businesses with reliable information and assistance in both regions, amid their crucial roles in the geopolitical and economic landscape.
In both regions, we provide full coverage of travel disruptions and safety concerns related to the current regional instability. As part of our ‘Entry’ intelligence, we also track visa facilitation schemes that are being rolled out to boost regional travel, as well as any health-related requirements. Riskline continuously monitors diplomatic tensions, border closures, evacuations, and the growing impact of climate-related disruptions across MENA and Asia.
TDM: What is it that Gen Z are looking for in terms of business travel? What is their attitude regarding risks?
CG: Gen Z business travellers are looking for flexibility, personalisation, and sustainability in their travel programmes. They value experiences that add to their career growth and professional performance, prioritising personal safety, flexible itineraries, and quality. According to the “2025 Millennial & Gen Z Business Travel Trends” report, developed by CTM, regional differences also influence preferences. Safety is a key concern in the UK and Asia, price matters most in the US, and comfort is highly valued in Australia.
Most Gen Z travellers (59 percent) book their own business trips, preferring online tools, mobile apps and messaging platforms. Sustainability is increasingly important, with many seeking eco-friendly airlines (55 percent), sustainable hotels (51 percent) and expecting employers to invest in greener options (57 percent). Bleisure opportunities (42 percent extend trips for leisure) and loyalty benefits also influence their choices.
Another report indicates that Gen Z business travellers are quite selective in their expectations. According to SAP Concur, 96 percent would refuse a trip that does not meet these expectations. They expect business travel to fit seamlessly with their lifestyle, prompting companies to offer greater flexibility compared with previous generations.
TDM: In case of sudden disruptions that may be natural or man-made, why is it important to have localized risk intelligence to support travel confidence?
CG: When unexpected disruptions occur, there’s often little time to respond. Access to Travel Risk Intelligence ensures getting the right information at the right time.
At Riskline, we report from where events unfold, delivering verified travel intelligence within minutes, often before governments and international media, such as the Associated Press (AP) and Agence France-Presse (AFP). Whether it’s a regional conflict or a local protest, our analysts detect and track incidents at every level, from global headlines to street-level risks, streamlining incoming information for timely, actionable alerts. Our granularity of information assists all types of needs, from the 1-minute quick alert format to the in-depth analysis of a crisis:
- Alerts - Short reports that focus on the impact of political, security, and travel-related incidents worldwide on clients’ operations, travel plans, assets, and safety.
- Risk Advisories: Published normally within 24 hours, when a significant incident takes place, or during an ongoing event or situation. They serve as a medium-length report that describes conditions that may be changing rapidly, such as in the aftermath of a major natural disaster, a diplomatic dispute, or a conflict that will result in travel disruptions and safety concerns.
- Destination Reports: Tailored to safety, travel, or health, they cover the long-term status of events, crise,s and incidents.
TDM: What changing trends in travel do you see for 2026 with changing behaviour patterns especially in terms of comfort and sustainability? How can travel facilitators up-skill themselves for the same? Can you share some case studies or examples for us, please?
CG: Some travel trends to continue monitoring are surely work-life blending or bleisure travel, which remains on the rise. Thanks to remote jobs and more affordable travel conditions, many choose to combine work and leisure trips. Extending the stay aligns with the desire for a balanced lifestyle and a commitment to reducing the environmental impact.
Slow travel, calmcations and retreats, with the core objective to slow down, relax and interact deeply with the local environment and community, are increasingly popular, often combined with workshops and activities that require stopping and focusing without screen interruptions.
In general, there’s growing interest in changing the perspective of travel: the ‘where to’ becomes less important, and more travellers want to taste the authentic local life, rather than just being tourists. Amid growing discontent with over-tourism destinations, more travellers seek to visit lesser-known destinations that offer similar experiences to many of the world’s famous tourist hotspots.
In 2026 and beyond, digitalisation of travel will continue to evolve fast. From digital booking platforms to AI-powered apps that assist travellers in crafting personalised itineraries, technology is non-negotiable. Countries keep up this pace with growing digitalised systems for entry, including e-Visa options, e-Passport gates at airports and biometric solutions to speed up border controls.
TDM: What is it that you love about technology and your role in it? Any words of wisdom for youngsters aspiring to be in your shoes.
CG: What feels rewarding in this job is knowing you’re supporting people, making it possible for them to access digestible insights that truly help them travel safely.
I also like the constant challenge of transforming complex, real-world scenarios into clear, actionable intelligence.
Travel is still both deeply personal and highly innovative, and so is the perception of risk. Travel remains rooted in human culture and experience, tied to our identity, taste and individual choices. At the same time, it evolves through technology, data and AI.
My advice for those aspiring to work in this field is to stay curious and adaptable. Keep up with emerging technologies and trends. Be passionate about travel. Experiencing it firsthand is also essential in creating successful, customer-centric solutions.
