A recent poll of European travel buyers has revealed that many corporate programmes are ignoring the specific needs of minority travellers.
According to a Business Travel Show survey, around three-quarters of travel programmes don’t take into account the needs of disabled, older, orthodox religious and LGBTQIA+ employees, who can be considered minority travellers. Solo female staff are looked after slightly better, with 32 per cent of policies built with their requirements in mind.
In addition, only 13 per cent of programmes have been created with consideration for younger travellers even though millennials now account for half of the UK workforce and almost a third globally.
Despite these figures, 67 per cent of the buyers polled said duty of care falls under their remit, and 80 per cent said they have a strategy for limiting, managing and resolving traveller risk. More than half (54 per cent) confirmed their programmes do include policies designed to improve their travellers’ health and wellbeing.
David Chapple, Northstar Travel Media UK managing director, commented: “Conscious travel is a major theme of the Business Travel Show this year. Often this is misconstrued to be solely about sustainability and environmental issues, but ethical travel management goes beyond that and touches every element of the process where we can be kinder and more considerate to travellers, business and the world around us.
“We have the Wellness Retreat at Business Travel Show this year for the first time. It’s a place where buyers discover new products and services that have been designed specifically to make travelling less stressful on the body and mind.”
The Wellness Retreat, sponsored by Kooth Work, features exhibitors such as the Business Travel Wellbeing Community, Trip Unwind, Shizen Nutrition, RBR Active and psychologist Dr Lucy Rattrie, who is conducting research with the aim of setting wellbeing standards and best practice guidance for business travellers.
Alongside Uber and Sanctify, the exhibitors will be hosting mini-sessions and demos throughout the two-day show.
Business Travel Show asked Gavin Harvey, Sodexo’s senior mobility buyer, to define the most important thing he does to look after his travellers’ wellbeing. He said: “Travel management companies have improved their traveller-focused offering and with the new generation of apps, as well as improved consumer apps, it makes business travel far less stressful than before.”
Brigitte Lehle, head of travel management at Porsche, commented: “Travellers need to focus on their work instead of complex travel and expense processes; therefore, they should be enabled to book, travel and claim expenses with as little effort as possible and give them the information needed at the right point and right time.”
BBT editor Matthew Parsons will be moderating a panel discussion titled “Make traveller wellbeing a reality in your business” at 1130 on Wednesday, 26 February at Business Travel Show in the Pillar Hall.
Other wellbeing-focused sessions include “Is it time to introduce an ethical travel programme?”, “Can car rental offer a green alternative to travel programmes?” and “The true win-win-win: How to save money, travellers’ health and the planet”.
There’s still time to register for the show, taking place on 26-27 February at Olympia London, at businesstravelshow.com/register