The Real Cyber Threat Facing Travel Businesses

Most cyberattacks don’t start with a complex breach. They start with a click. A bad link. A spoofed sender. A moment’s distraction. And they’re getting much harder to spot. So, what should travel businesses be doing about it? 

For small and medium-sized travel businesses, the idea of a high-level cyberattack can feel remote, something that only happens to banks or tech giants. But the reality is, attackers go where the defences are weakest. And that’s often in our sector. 

In travel, trust is everything. Customers trust you with their bookings, their money, and their personal data. Suppliers trust you to represent their brand. A breach doesn’t just cause disruption; it damages that trust. And once that’s gone, it’s incredibly hard to get back. 

The UK Government’s latest Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2025 found that phishing was involved in the vast majority of cyber incidents, 93% of affected businesses and 95% of affected charities. That’s nearly 7.9 million phishing-related cyber crimes in the UK last year alone. IBM’s latest report also backs this up, noting an 84% rise in phishing emails delivering infostealers, and warning that AI-generated scams are increasingly being used to target executives with tailored, convincing messages. 

These aren’t sloppy scam emails full of spelling mistakes. They’re tailored, subtle, and arrive when your team is busiest. A fake invoice. A login page that looks exactly like Microsoft’s to access a OneNote file. An urgent “payment request” that appears to come from a known supplier. They bypass antivirus and spam filters not because those tools are flawed, but because the attackers know how to trick people, not machines. 

And it’s not just phishing as a standalone issue. Ransomware, credential theft, and business email compromise many of these begin with a phishing email. That email is just the entry point. The real damage often comes afterwards, once access is gained or malware is deployed. It’s the tip of the spear that opens the door to more serious problems. 

The truth is, antivirus, firewalls, and multi-factor authentication are all essential, but they’re not enough. These are your hygiene layer. Like locking your front door. They’ll stop most opportunists, but they won’t stop someone who’s done their research. 

In the past year, we’ve seen a sharp rise in incidents across the travel sector: mailboxes compromised and used to spread malware, spoofed supplier emails that looked entirely legitimate, and staff unknowingly handing over credentials to attackers by falling victim to credential harvesting. These are real events affecting real businesses, and they’re not one-offs. They’re trends. 

That tells us a few things. One: travel is very much on the radar for cybercriminals. Two: training and awareness are not where they need to be. This isn’t about blaming anyone; the attacks are designed to trick even the most tech-savvy of us. But it’s clear that without regular training, internal communication, and a culture that encourages double-checking, even well-run businesses are exposed. 

So, what should we be doing about it? 

First, keep your team in the loop. Don’t make training an annual checkbox exercise. Talk about scams you’ve seen. Share red flags. Make it normal to pause and question an email that doesn’t feel quite right.

1. Make sure MFA is switched on for every critical system. It’s simple, and it works. 
2. Consider phishing simulations, not to catch people out, but to create safe learning experiences. It's important to follow this up with regular training for your teams and monitor your success rates. 
3. Review supplier access. If a third-party system has access to your data or network, make sure they’re treating your security as seriously as you are. 
4. And finally, don’t overlook cyber insurance. If the worst happens…and it might, having the right cover in place can be the difference between recovery and disaster. Advantage’s insurance brokerage, Cork, Bays & Fisher, has access to market-leading cyber insurance products and is on hand and ready to assist you in finding the right product to protect your business. Click here for more information and contact details.

Running a travel business is already a juggling act. Cybersecurity can feel like one more thing. But it’s also the thing that protects everything else. Because at the end of the day, it only takes one email to undo years of hard work. But one conversation, one decision, one shift in mindset, that can be all it takes to stop it.