Wildfires are emerging as one of the fastest-growing risks for global business travellers, with new data showing a dramatic surge in alerts in the first half of 2025.
According to World Travel Protection, in collaboration with intelligence provider Riskline, the number of wildfire alerts in the first six months of 2025 was almost four times higher than during the same period in 2024. Overall, alerts rose 84 per cent between 2023 and 2024.
The figures underscore how wildfires, once seasonal and largely confined to high-risk zones, are now breaking through traditional boundaries to affect a growing number of countries – including the United States, Chile, Australia, Canada and Greece.
“What we’re seeing with wildfires is that seasonality is breaking down,” said Frank Harrison, Security Director, Americas, at World Travel Protection. “These fires are no longer confined to historically high-risk zones. Regions once considered low risk are now seeing frequent and intense wildfire activity. As the season grows longer, more severe, and less predictable, the need for proactive safety measures has never been more urgent.”
Harrison warned that 2025 may prove to be the most extreme wildfire year yet, demanding “immediate focus on emergency preparedness, and regional risk monitoring”.
Wildfires can move at speeds of up to 14 miles per hour, with devastating effects on air quality, infrastructure, and local transport. In 2024, nearly 1.9 million hectares (4.7 million acres) burned across Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.
For business travellers, the dangers range from sudden travel disruptions and road closures to serious health risks and, in extreme cases, emergency evacuations.
World Travel Protection’s survey of 2,000 global respondents found that 62 per cent of business travellers worry about natural disasters when they travel – with wildfires now ranked among the most unpredictable threats.