About the Founder

Built from inside the travel industry, not outside it.

"We help hotels, resorts, and travel operators reduce risk and strengthen guest and traveller safety, all without the cost or complexity of a full-time in-house safety function." — Andrew Howells, Founder

Destination Risk Advisors was founded by Andrew Howells, a safety consultant with 11 years of experience with Flight Centre Travel Group, including six years specialising in operational risk, safety and incident management across Asia. He has spent more than 15 years living and working in the region. His experience includes assessing and managing risk across hotels, resorts, DMCs, tour operators and other travel suppliers.

A safety consultant who has worked inside hospitality and travel operations, not just assessed them.

Large international providers bring global brand recognition and standardized checklists. Regional compliance auditors bring certification stamps. Destination Risk Advisors brings something different: direct, hands-on experience managing real incidents, real suppliers, and real crisis response — inside the hospitality and travel industry itself, not observing it from outside.

11 yrs At Flight Centre Travel Group (FCTG)

6 yrs As Regional Risk Officer, Asia & Australia

Safety Lead Onsite risk reviews across Cross Hotels & Resorts, Discova DMC & FCTG's supply chain

Incident Response Coordinated international responses to serious accidents & emergencies

Architect Of safety and crisis management policies, managing international critical incident reviews

From managing real incidents to building the systems that prevent them

Andrew spent 11 years with Flight Centre Travel Group (FCTG), one of the world's largest travel companies, including six years as Regional Risk Officer for Asia & Australia. In that role, he wasn't reviewing hotel and DMC safety from a distance, he was directly responsible for it, across a portfolio that included a Hotel Management Company, a Destination Management Company, Ground Operations and FCTG's broader supply chain in the region.

This is the experience base most safety consultants simply don't have. Certification bodies audit against a standard. Global risk firms manage programs from head office. Andrew has sat inside the operation, managed the phone call at 2am, and written the policy that prevented the next one.

Why start an independent consultancy

Most hotels, guesthouses, DMCs and tour operators across Southeast Asia, particularly independent and boutique operators, have no realistic access to enterprise-grade risk consulting. The large international providers are priced and structured for global chains and Fortune 500 travel programs. What's missing is a consultancy that understands the operational reality of an independent guesthouse or a mid-sized regional DMC, and can build something they'll actually use.

Destination Risk Advisors was built to close that gap: practical, right-sized safety and crisis management systems, delivered by someone who has done the job, not just audited it.

Just as importantly, it closes the gap between "do nothing" and "hire a full-time safety manager." Most independent and mid-sized operators genuinely can't justify a full-time in-house safety hire, but they can bring in that same level of expertise as a scoped project, or as an ongoing advisory retainer, only when and as much as they need it.

Our approach

Operational, not theoretical. Every framework is built to be used by real staff, in real conditions not filed away.
Right-sized to your operation. A small guesthouse and a large resort need different systems. We scope accordingly, and price accordingly.
Practical, usable documents. Deliverables are clear documents your team can put to work immediately, not a locked platform, but not a static handoff either. We're on hand to help keep them current as your operation changes.

Clear about what this is and isn't. We build practical safety and crisis documentation. We are not a law firm, and we always recommend local legal or regulatory review alongside our work.
Flexible engagement, not a fixed headcount. Work with us project-by-project, or bring us on as an ongoing advisory retainer, you get senior-level safety expertise scaled to what your operation needs, without carrying a full-time salary.

Serving Southeast Asia and the wider Asia region

Destination Risk Advisors works with hotels, resorts, guesthouses, DMCs, tour operators and educational travel providers across Southeast Asia and the broader Asia region.