Paris, France, April 28, 2009 – According to a poll of corporate travel managers and business travelers on the rapidly-spreading swine flu epidemic, only a third of companies have formally communicated with their employees about travel in light of the outbreak.
KDS is the European market leader in online travel and expense management systems. Its clients include procurement managers at many of the world’s largest corporations, who oversee the travel planning for tens of thousands of employees. 163 executives and business travelers gave their feedback to this snap poll, which was conducted yesterday and today.
Only 31 percent of respondents said that their companies had communicated with their staff about the epidemic. Sixty-nine percent said that as yet no action had been taken by their employers.
Some 46 percent of respondents said their companies were looking at cancelling their Mexican trips, while 15 per cent said they were considering avoiding the USA, where cases of the illness have been reported in several cities.
The figures come as the first cases of the virulent flu – which has reportedly already killed more than 150 people in Mexico – are confirmed within Europe.
Commenting on the results, Yves Weisselberger, CEO of KDS, said: “With only a third of companies communicating on the issue to their staff, it is important for businesses to ensure that they can relay urgent travel information internally. This highlights two benefits of online travel management systems, as these enable businesses to post travel advisory notices to all staff at will, while also quickly establishing their travelers’ whereabouts.”
