Corporate travel managers were quick to jump on the SARS-related travel ban to China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Toronto, and other affected areas—and now they’re beginning to jump back off again, according to the results of the Business Travel Coalition’s fourth SARS survey, released May 8.
The first survey, released April 1, found 27 percent of companies banning travel. That percentage jumped to 58 percent on April 7, rose again to 61 percent on April 16, and now is sliding downward, with 59 percent of companies saying they are banning travel to and from SARS-affected areas. Those who are still banning travel say it’s because of concerns that travelers could contract the disease or could unknowingly carry the disease back to the office. Fifty-nine percent indicated that they were banning travel to spare employees the hassle and worry of traveling to SARS-affected locations. One hundred percent say that when the World Health Organization indicates that travel to a certain country is again safe, they’ll normalize their travel policies to that area.
For the full report, go to BTC Travelogue