The summer holidays are knocking on our doors, and Europe is opening up. Italy, Greece, Spain, and France are allowing a number of people to cross their borders again. So, we can go to the beach and have a beer. Like I’ve shared before, I love going to restaurants, bars, and big (sports) events. But this summer, we’ll be heading to Austria to enjoy a corona-proof vacation. And yes, we will hop on a plane. Why? Well, we think it’s safe. Not that we’re 100% sure. But as a family, we believe the rewards outweigh the risks.
Business travel, take note of your leisure counterpart!
The other day, I listened to one of Tobias Ragge’s podcasts. He is the CEO of HRS, which closely monitors the return of leisure travel and wants to learn from our summer holidays. How will the leisure industry – from hotels and airlines to governments and nations – handle tourism in the coming months? Tobias expects business travel in Europe to pick up after its leisure counterpart, as the latter is the gateway to experiencing today’s kind of travel.
The interesting thing is, Roadmap can also closely follow this experiment. We work with Europe’s biggest online travel agencies (OTAs), meaning we will have front-row tickets to this summer’s main event. And if you ask us, our OTA partners are more than ready!
Empowering your business travelers
Another podcast taught me that people are more willing to go on a leisure trip. A trip for business purposes, not so much. It feels a bit counterintuitive, but it probably stems from the idea that you are the one who’s in control. It’s not the company that tells you to cross borders – you’ve decided to do so because you want to go on a summer holiday.
This might become one of the biggest challenges for corporate travel programs. Doing business means you need to connect and empathize. If you want to grow your business, travel is a necessity. The same is true if your equipment across the globe requires maintenance, or you have offices in different countries. So, it’s key to connect.
The thing is, you have to empower people to make that decision. Perhaps the coming summer holidays will help – especially if there won’t be a second corona outbreak. Let’s keep our fingers crossed.
Permissible travel framework: what (not) to do
We will travel again. Our friends at Festive Road perfectly explain in which way we’ll do this. (Seriously. We kiss the ground they walk on. Especially Paul’s footprints.) The permissible travel framework provides big corporates with guidance on restarting their travel programs.
Here’s what it says in a nutshell. First, the company needs to specify in which cases they allow an employee to travel. The employee should then decide whether they want to embark on a trip. Last but not least, you have to check whether the country in question has opened its borders – and if so, what the local rules are.
If you want to restart business travel and are preparing your program, have a look at this. It will keep you out of trouble – and possibly jail, too.
Get the right pilot on your journey
Need more support in getting your business travelers back on the road? The Roadmap platform is designed for times like these. We help you communicate with your road warriors about their safety and wellbeing as well as your policies. The largest corporates in the world rely on our platform.
Interested in joining them? My beloved co-founder Koen Bavinck can be your pilot on this journey. If you want to prepare for a smooth takeoff, be sure to give him a call.
Safe travels!
Markus Emmer
