Most travel buyers remain unaware of the new ISO 31030 global standard for managing business travel risk, according to a survey by Business Travel Show Europe.
The study revealed that 53 per cent of travel bookers, buyers and managers are still in the dark about ISO 31030 guidance, which was released last year to improve global standards in risk management.
Only 16 per cent of buyers said they were actively updating their policies to meet the new standard, while another 31 per cent said they knew about ISO 31030 but had yet to make any policy changes.
To help improve knowledge,Business Travel Show Europe will be running a free educational session covering this topic at the show in London on 29-30 June.
The session, entitled From Covid to conflict – How to manage the current big risks for business travel, will take place on 29 June at 2.30pm.
Panellists will include Alice Linley-Munro, travel manager at Oil Spill Response, Emanuele Scansani, Riskline’s director of partnerships and strategic relations, and Bob Quick, executive director and founder of Global Secure Accreditation.
Linley-Munro said: “Duty of care and risk management have been brought into sharp focus with the impact of the pandemic and the war in Ukraine.
“The introduction of an ISO guidance document is a boon to travel professionals as it gives them a chance to assess their own programmes at their own pace against industry standards.
“It will be of particular benefit to those who are newer to industry and who may not have a network of peers built up, but it will also be an excellent chance for a review and refresh for those with mature TRM (travel risk management) programmes.”
Louis Magliaro, executive VP of BTN Group, added: “The 2020s have, so far, proved the decade of risk management with Covid-19 cementing risk mitigation as the number one priority for travel managers.
“Three years in the making, ISO 31030 was finally published in September 2021 and includes – but is far from limited to – best practice for managing Covid-related risk and traveller duty of care, which is particularly relevant as corporate travel continues to reopen across the world.
“This session will bring buyers up to speed with the ISO recommendations and help them identify where gaps my lie within their own policies.”
Registration is now open online for the two-day Business Travel Show Europe at the ExCeL London exhibition centre. The event will run alongside The Meetings Show and TravelTech Show.
Learn more about what ISO 31030 means for travel buyers by reading BTN Europe’s in-depth feature.