Traveller security has become a major issue among corporates. Chill memories of 9/11 when many companies found, to their horror, that they did not know if any of their travellers were in New York or Washington still linger.
But, five years on, a world that now seems continuously unstable amid wars, terrorist attacks and security alerts has reinforced corporate attitudes to the duty of care they owe their travellers.Security is something that companies now take very, very seriously. When the BATM/ACTE joint forum in Brussels last month devoted all its sessions to the issue, it drew one of its biggest audiences.
Major companies now, as a matter of course, have a security policy which is in the best cases works in tandem with its travel policy. These companies are also increasingly employing specialist security companies to guide and advise them.
This is a rapidly growing, multi-million pound industry in both the States and Europe. But what do companies get when they employ such a company? And how is it different from what the TMCs can do?
The Control Risk Group based in London but with offices around the world, has seen both a growing concern by companies for travellers and an increase in clients seeking advice and guidance.
Chris Ripley, account executive EMEA for Control Risks, said: “Travel security has been a growing part of our business for a number of years as companies have acknowledged the need to deliver duty of care to their travellers.
"Companies should have a plan or travel security policy which bolts onto their travel policy.
"We recommend that a company must brief its travellers, is able to monitor them and must be able to respond to them on a 24/7 basis. We believe that this is integral."
On travel, CRG offers three main services: information, a round the clock, round the year service for travellers in difficulty and a traveller tracking facility.
The group has detailed information on more than 200 countries and 329 cities compiled by analysts in its Country Risks Forecast and CityBrief service. Analysts supplying information must have lived in the country.
Information on political stability and any relevant events or incidences events, like disturbances or riots is compiled and dissected and each country is given a risk rating from insignificant through low, medium and high to extreme.
Advice is then offered on safety, like the best way of getting from the airport to the city, on which parts of a country or city to avoid, for women travellers and on business etiquette. A list of checked hotels and restaurant is also supplied.
It 24/7 service, CR24 is an operations centre based in London and manned by senior consultants who respond as and when a crisis or situation arises.
Each client has a "unique" telephone number which one of its travellers can use when in need and will get an instant response of advice and/or action from the CR24 consultant.
Mr Ripley said because of its network of contacts based in countries around the world, Control Risks was often aware of an incident "a lot sooner than many other organisations."
Client travellers due to visit the country where such an incidence has happened or adjacent countries will also get a verbal or written update including any change in the risk rating.
Like many travel managements companies (TMCs), CRG also have a facility to track client travellers when they are on their trips. This is a web-based tool drawing its information form the travel booking but it can be manually updated if an itinerary changes.
At the Brussels forum, John Caldwell, director of Washington-based Caldwell Associates and one of the presenters, said many specialist security companies were now working with TMCs to provide their client companies with a joint service.
While a TMC can track travellers and give basic advice, it is not likely that it has the resources to delve that deep into a country and provide the detailed security information and advice that a specialist is equipped to do.
But with honourable exceptions like Honeywell, whose European travel manager Cindy Van Der Elst, gave a presentation on her company's best practice security policy, there seems little co-operation between security specialist and TMC.
Mr Ripley said: "In the UK at present, I don't think that that is happening. But like a lot of the rest of the world, the trend is set by the US and I think we will see change on this in a number of years.
"I would not be surprised if there were much closer links with TMCs in the future."