Cyber threats in the hospitality, leisure and tourism sector: Are You Prepared?

Tourism and hospitality businesses are increasingly exposed to cybercrime and fraud. Hotels, restaurants, travel agencies and leisure companies routinely process sensitive customer data, including bookings, payment details and personal information – making them appealing targets for cyber criminals.

The scale of the threat in the UK is alarming. Government data shows that more than half of UK businesses experienced some form of cyber breach or attack in the past 12 months. Cybercrime has cost British businesses an estimated £44 billion over five years, yet only 61% use anti-virus software, and just over half have firewall protection.

Within the tourism and hospitality sectors, limited internal IT capacity and constrained budgets often mean that investment in cyber security is overlooked, leaving many businesses under-protected.

Smaller operators are at high risk of cybercrime

Smaller operators are just as likely to be targeted. Independent hotels, guesthouses, restaurants, and travel agents may believe cyber criminals only go after large firms, but the opposite is often true as attackers actively seek out businesses with weaker controls. The impact can be severe, not only financially and reputationally, but also operationally. Downtime caused by an incident can halt operations for hours or even days. Time and resources are diverted to recovery tasks such as informing affected customers, restoring access, and dealing with lost data. For small teams, the disruption can be overwhelming.

Cybercrime and fraud techniques are increasingly sophisticated. Invoice fraud is on the rise with criminals intercepting emails and altering payment details to divert funds. Research consistently shows that over 80% of reported data breaches are linked to human error and is often the result of targeted email phishing attacks.

Impersonation and reservation scams

Reservation scams, with bogus bookings made using fake or compromised information, lead to lost revenue and added administrative burden. Perhaps most concerning are cases where AI has been used to impersonate senior staff or trusted contacts by phone, tricking employees into revealing passwords or authorising payments. These attacks are designed to exploit the trusting, service-oriented nature of the industry and can be extremely convincing.

Cyber security solutions

Armstrong Watson Cyber Security Solutions service supports businesses to assess risk, identify gaps, and strengthen their security posture. The firm, which has offices across Cumbria, offers tailored services that are proportionate to every business, from small family-run businesses to larger corporate groups. From one-off cyber health checks, help responding to a specific concern, or a managed service to build long-term resilience, the team can provide the right level of support.

Rebecca Wilson, Cyber Security Solutions Manager, said: “We also recognise that budget is a key consideration, that’s why our services are flexible and scalable. We take time to understand each business’s priorities and challenges, and we focus on straightforward, achievable actions that make a real difference.

“In an industry where trust and reputation are vital, cyber security is not a luxury - it is a necessity! Proactive steps to improve cyber security can help avoid potentially costly and damaging disruption and give customers continued confidence in the services businesses provide.”