The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) Europe has created a corporate travel buyer-led group to engage with the industry and the European Comission.
The new advocacy group is led by Hans Ingo Biehl, executive director of GBTA Europe’s German business travel association partner VDR.
With representation from the UK, Netherlands and Nordics, the GBTA Europe Advocacy Group aims to represent the interests of buyers in Europe.
It will also coordinate with the GBTA in the US on issues that affect the corporate travel industry globally.
Biehl said the group already has “a number of issues in our sights”.
“The creation of a solid pan-European advocacy effort is incredibly important for VDR, GBTA and the European business travel sector,” he said.
Issues high on the priority list include data privacy, competition, airline contracting and ancillary fees.
Other members on the group include Mark Cuschieri from UBS in the UK, Jens Liltorp from Novo Nordisk in Denmark and Jan van Veen from NATM in the Netherlands.
www.gbtaeurope.org