As security threats become more prevalent and health concerns rise in different areas of the world, travel managers and company decision-makers have been watching. A new study by International SOS and Control Risks found an overall increase in modified travel itineraries due to travel risk factors in 2016. In addition to itinerary modification, 80% of organizations adjusted or reinforced travel security measures in various other ways. Almost half of the respondents say they increased their travel mitigation procedures in the last year.
Overall, the business travel industry as a whole sees the need to update travel procedures or implement risk mitigation activities. And it’s not slowing down anytime soon. Even with this jump in travel risks, business travel has risen by 44% in the last year, according to this study. Over half expected business travel to increase through 2017 as well. Meaning more companies are likely to update risk protocol in the future.
Top risk mitigation actions during 2016:
Below are the ways in which companies increased their risk mitigation techniques over 2016.
- Reinforced travel security measures (50%)
- Updated travel policy (45%)
- Introduced pre-trip travel advisory emails (39%)
- Implemented travel safety training (32%)
- Implemented programs to locate travelers (25%)
- Provided pre-travel health programs (22%)
- Invested in crisis communication systems (20%)
- Enforced use of mobile check in (15%)
The greatest challenges facing travel managers or human resource managers:
Companies are actively taking precautions to ensure their business travelers are safe. Unfortunately, a hurdle with most decision makers is internal compliancy with their travelers. Below are the top challenges employers faced in implementing new risk management protocols.
- Educating employees about travel risks (49%)
- Communicating during a crisis (47%)
- Tracking employee travel (42%)
- Confirming that employees have read pre-travel information (37%)
- Travel risk policy compliance (31%)
- Managing a crisis (31%)
- Business continuity planning (23%)
- Implementing a travel risk policy (23%)
- Confirming that employees have taken travel risk training (23%)
- Understanding legal obligations to travelers (22%)
- Management buy-in of travel risk policy (18%)
Activities found to be successful by travelers and decisions makers:
Overall, travelers are less likely to encounter problems if the prepared for the destination and have a known procedure for events. These are the tasks both travelers and decision makers found success in mitigating immediate travel risks in their destination city.
- Share itinerary with friends and family (59%)
- Research threats by destination (54%)
- Know vaccination requirements (42%)
- Explore attitudes, cultures, and practice of local population (42%)
- Protect against mosquito bites (36%)
How Christopherson Business Travel provides safety reassurance
Studies like these just reinforce why we created our AirPortal 360 suite in the first place. Our SecurityLogic technology allows travel managers to instantly locate their travelers anywhere in the world in an instant. Displaying safety risks, weather complications, traffic delays, etc, it provides an overview of the destination, without needing to be on the ground or search through additional websites. Should an emergency or disaster strike, our Safety Check feature contacts the traveler instantaneously, notifying them they need to check in with their
Should an emergency or disaster strike, our Safety Check feature contacts the traveler instantaneously- notifying them that they need to check in with their employer. We provide peace of mind for duty or care responsibilities and work fast in an emergency. Our other technology tools in the suite compliment SecurityLogic, ensuring everything you need is in one place.
Christopherson Business Travel is a corporate travel management company, specializing in advanced technology and personalized account management. Learn more about SecurityLogic and our other tools, or contact us for a free demo.
