As multinational corporations begin to bring travel in the Middle East into their global travel management programs, many find "more
questions than answers" as they determine how best to proceed.
The most basic of the travel management questions is how to
define the Middle East, Alshamel International executive vice president Benjo
van Laarhoven said during an Association of Corporate Travel Executives meeting
in Berlin last month. "Do we want to include Morocco and Egypt in the
Middle East? For the purposes of this conversation we do, but don't tell a
Moroccan that he is part of the Middle East."
Control of spending in the Middle East often includes
expenditures of West Asia and North Africa, he said. "This conception of
the Middle East is very North American- and Western European-driven."
Shell International manager of business development for
travel Albert Kilsdonk said Africa and North Africa are often included in the
Middle East. Based in the Netherlands, Kilsdonk said he has been trying to
bring the region into the global travel program, but often has "more
questions than answers because the Middle East is still a challenge."
One of the myths in perception, van Laarhoven said, is that
the "Middle East is a single entity and one approach will work across all
territories." In reality, the differences in culture, currency, language,
attitude and people in each country in the region often necessitate different
approaches to manage travel.
Mandates to use preferred travel services are important in
the region, panelists agreed, but often are tough to get. Short of a mandate,
the job becomes one of change management. Shell first "consolidated
service in one country, now the next step is regionalization in a regional
center. But it's all change management," Kilsdonk said.