Looking ahead to the restart of travel, two-thirds of business
travellers say they are most concerned about quarantine measures following their
trips, social distancing and the cleanliness of their environment, according to
a survey of 1,260 travellers worldwide by BCD Travel.
The survey revealed the impact of Covid-19, with 76 per cent
of respondents saying their company had suspended all business travel and 32
per cent saying only essential travel was allowed. Seven in ten had trips
planned during the time the virus started affecting their region, with 67 per
cent of those reporting their trip was cancelled or postponed. Thirty per cent
shifted their meeting to a virtual platform and only 3 per cent still took
place. Of those that managed to hit the road during the pandemic, the majority (72
per cent) said they were able to complete their trips as planned.
When asked about their preferred communication channels for
receiving new policies or actions from their travel departments, 92 per cent
said they want to receive such communication via email. Half (52 per cent)
preferred their corporate intranet or portal and 43 per cent chose messaging
via their mobile travel app.
Looking ahead to the restart of business travel, respondents
shared their views on various measures by suppliers to ensure their safety. For
airports and airlines, nine out of ten rated frequent disinfection as extremely
or very important, followed by new boarding procedures and empty seats on
aircraft to accommodate social distancing. When it comes to hotels, 80 per cent
rated enhanced cleaning protocols at the top of their list, followed by online
check-in and digital room keys, as well as the mandatory use of masks by hotel
guests and employees. Regulatory measures across the travel ecosystem such as
the use of contactless payments (67 per cent) and infrared cameras to measure
body temperature (58 per cent) were also rated as important.
“These recent findings on traveller expectations help
navigate the new future of business travel,” said Mike Janssen, global chief
operating officer and chief commercial officer for BCD Travel. “Incorporating
travellers’ priorities for health and safety measures into sourcing strategies
is key. For the time being, services that can ensure safer travel will replace price
as the deciding factor for travel managers. In addition, delivering the right
information at the right time will help travellers’ peace of mind as they start
getting back on the road.”