Many
companies with operations in the Asia/Pacific region need to revisit health and
security training policies for their travelers, particularly those who travel
into high-risk areas, according to a report developed by International SOS and
presented on Wednesday at The Association of Corporate Travel Executives'
annual Asia/Pacific Education Conference.
The
report drew its findings from responses to a questionnaire answered by 161 ACTE
members based in the region, nearly all of whom are involved in making business
travel buying decisions. Nearly one-third of respondents said their companies
currently do not have adequate security plans, and only 9 percent said their
company provides travelers with health and security training. Furthermore, 17
percent of respondents said they believed their travelers were not fully
insured.
The
lack of planning, training and insurance at many companies can be explained to
some extent by the fact that 77 percent said their travelers were visiting
countries with low risks, such as Germany, Singapore, Japan and China. More
than half of respondents, however, said their companies did not have an
emergency response plan of a vaccination program in place for travelers who
visit high-risk destinations, such as Afghanistan, Cameroon, Iraq and Pakistan.
Only
about 8 percent of respondents said that their companies do not implement
safety and security measures for meetings held abroad.