This week BTE reports on the annual conference of the UK and Ireland Institute of Travel Management (ITM) in Edinburgh, the first conference on business travel finance organised by the National Business Travel Association (NBTA) in New York and the deal finally signed between BA and Sabre.
The ITM theme was Responsible Travel Management, one of its keynote speakers was the UK's leading campaigner on green issues, Jonathon Porritt and many of its session were given over to discussing how to cut C02 remissions, corporate social responsibility, the duty of care and what they all mean to managed travel.
Delegates – and there were more than 400 – voted green issues as the most important facing the business travel industry. Only 15% said it was distribution.
Now to New York. Green issues were not mentioned at all during the morning session although one of the seminars was given over to trends in the aviation industry.
They did get a brief mention, regarding emissions by chauffeur driven cars but the speaker explained this was mainly from Hollywood stars in California. After that it was not mentioned again.
The contrast between the two countries could not be starker. A major figure in the NBTA told BTE that it simply was not an issue, it was not so possible in America to switch from planes to trains as it was in Europe because of the vast distances.
He did concede that the NBTA should speak to the ITM about its Icarus project.
A US journalist who writes on business travel issues and to whom BTE spoke was similarly completely in the dark.
There's no room for European complacency on this issue. A recent ACTE/KDS survey showed that while many companies talk about improving their Green credentials, not that many are actually doing anything about it.
But it seems that America is going to be a far, far harder mountain to climb.
Stanley Slaughter
Editor
Business Travel Europe