Travel Company Says Security Is a Business Traveler’s Chief Concern

Mar 18, 2008 3:37 PM

Expedia Corporate Travel surveyed more than 1,000 U.S.-based business travelers to better understand their security concerns while on the road. Survey results indicate that 87 percent of business travelers rank safety and security "somewhat" or "extremely important" when traveling on business. In addition to safeguards like not carrying valuables and utilizing amenities including hotel safes while on business trips, the survey shows that business travelers are taking extra precautions prior to departure such as monitoring weather conditions, major world events and the U.S. State Department's travel warnings list.

"It's clear that safety is top-of-mind among business travelers, and as a travel management company, it's important that we understand their concerns and the actions they are taking to stay safe on the road," says Rob Greyber, senior vice president of North America for Expedia Corporate Travel. "Whether it's researching major world events prior to departure or simply placing valuables in the hotel safe, business travelers are taking proactive measures to increase their feeling of security while traveling."

According to the survey, almost 65 percent of respondents believe that the Middle East poses the largest safety and security risk when traveling, while 14 percent of respondents feel that North America poses the largest safety risk. The Middle East and North America are followed by Africa, South America, Asia and Europe in order of regions viewed by respondents as having the highest risk.

In light of recent world events, companies are broadening the scope of their travel policies to include guidelines for safety and security while traveling. More than 93 percent of business travelers surveyed believe that it is important for their company to take proactive measures related to traveler safety; however, more than 54 percent were unaware of any such measures or policies at their respective companies.

One of the steps that Expedia Corporate Travel has taken to provide travel managers with education, help and direction during a crisis is by creating a Emergency Preparedness program. The program is run by a team who continuously monitors the travel landscape for potentially significant incidents. Part of this program is a process called Travel Tracker which is used to locate a traveler that may be in an impacted area and has proven to be especially useful during critical weather and business events such as Hurricane Katrina.

Expedia Corporate Travel also offers an enhanced security program to help travel managers proactively monitor traveler safety through a partnership with TranSecur, a security information provider that offers traveler tracking tools and access to intelligence services.

"It's amazing how the security landscape has changed since my days in the Pentagon," says Noel Koch, president and chief executive officer of TranSecur, former U.S. Department of Defense, principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for International Security Affairs and special assistant to the President. "There are new threats on a regular basis and the amount of information is not only overwhelming, but constantly shifting. Having access to accurate and actionable data is key to making informed decisions about risks to corporate operations and personnel around the globe."

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© 2008 Penton Media Inc.

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