kabarsula ‘It’s getting worse’: Intrepid reveals its fastest-growing business cost bandar SLOT INDONESIA

Intrepid Travel has revealed that crisis management is its fastest-growing salary expense, with climate change now representing the biggest risk to the business.

Speaking at ATIA’s Beyond Borders 2026 conference in Melbourne, Intrepid Travel managing director ANZ Brett Mitchell warned that increasingly frequent and severe climate-related disruptions were putting growing pressure on travel operators.

“Our fastest growing P&L line item is the salaries and wages for crisis management,” Mitchell said.

“It’s getting worse. It’s our number one risk for our business, is climate change.”

Mitchell said the frequency and severity of extreme weather events were reinforcing the importance of booking with trusted travel professionals.

“We’re seeing it play out across the globe. It’s happening with more frequency, with being more volatile, more serious,” he said.

“That’s why when people book with a trusted tour operator or a trusted travel agent, I think the importance of us as humans being there to support them is going to be even more important.”

Extreme weather 

The comments came during a panel examining new consumer research, which revealed that travellers are increasingly considering climate-related risks when planning holidays.

Dylan Wilkinson from Allianz highlighted research from the Northern Hemisphere showing that 68 per cent of travellers now consider extreme weather events when booking their next trip.

The findings come amid growing disruption from wildfires, excessive heat and low water levels affecting European river cruising.

Fee structures

Fellow panelist Signature Travel Damien Borg raised questions about whether travel advisors’ existing fee structures adequately account for the additional work created by major disruptions.

He pointed to the Middle East crisis and low water levels affecting river cruising, which had forced advisors to effectively repeat entire booking processes for affected customers.

“There’s no bigger pressure than having to rework past files at the same time as having your own new business,” Borg said.

He urged businesses to consider whether their fees sufficiently covered the additional time and resources required when disruptions occur, particularly for destinations more susceptible to crises.

The discussion highlighted the growing financial and operational burden of disruption across the travel industry, even as Australians continue to prioritise holidays.