Business News
Travelling for business as restrictions start to ease
Sarah Walton (pictured), Business Development Manager for Good Travel Management, looks at the changes to the business travel sector
A
s travel and lockdown restrictions begin to ease in many parts of the world,
many companies are starting look at when, and how, they can start to travel for business again. Travel will be one of the key elements in re-starting economies all over the world as companies seek new sales and export opportunities, assist partners on new and existing engineering projects as well as cementing business relationships that existed before the pandemic. At Good Travel Management we
surveyed our clients in May/June 2020 to get their opinions on when they might consider travelling, if they’d travel less in the future and what assistance they would need from us to travel safely and with confidence. Sixty-two per cent of
respondents said they expected to start travelling again before September 2020 but over half anticipated that their travel budget would decrease by an average of 33% mainly due to increased use of virtual meeting solutions but also due to rebuilding confidence in their employees travelling
12 CHAMBERconnect Summer 2020
overseas. Of the elements that they suggest would need to be in place in order to travel safely, and with confidence, the most important factors cited are: • Information and advice from their travel agent on travel and lockdown restrictions before and during travel
• Flexible tickets and rates allowing the amending, or cancellation, of travel plans at short notice
• Details of hygiene and safety measures introduced by airlines, hotels, train operators etc.
Quarantine/self-isolation restrictions, both for the UK and for destination countries, are likely to change on weekly basis as countries implement reciprocal Air Bridges or potentially re-introduce restrictions in reaction to localised increases in Covid-19 cases. It’s going to be key that
travellers make sure they get this information before they travel and are provided with updates during the trip. Flexible air tickets and hotel
rates are slightly more expensive than tickets that do not allow any changes or cancellation before travel but, being able to adapt to changes to travel plans or cancellation will offer real benefits in the coming months. If you have to change or cancel a cheap, non-flexible ticket it’s likely that you will either not be able to get a refund or have to pay a large fee to make an amendment. Safety of travellers, and their
employees, is the top priority of airlines, airports, hotels, and all other travel suppliers. Good Travel Management are in
constant contact with all travel suppliers to monitor their response to Covid-19 and we will make this information available to our clients. For example, we can advise if an airline has a mandatory requirement for passengers to wear facemasks or if check-in time has been lengthened at the airport to cope with longer, socially
distanced, queues. One of the most
‘Travelling for business will certainly be
different for a while at least’
important things for a company to do at this point is to review your company travel policy and make
sure it includes any specific
requirements relating to travel post Covid-19. If you don’t already have a
travel policy, then it is worth
creating even a basic policy so that your travellers are clear on what travel is permissible and when. Additional information, advice
and templates for traveller checklists and travel polices are available at
www.good-travel.co.uk Travelling for business will
certainly be different for a while at least but travel has always provided the ability to open up new markets and stimulate international trade. It encourages domestic and foreign investment and promotes the exchange of technology and ideas. All vital elements in kick-starting
the world economy in the next months.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72
