Most business travel managers and procurement professionals aren't necessarily opposed to corporate requirements that employees be tested for or vaccinated against Covid-19 before allowing them to travel for business, according to a new survey of its members conducted by the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA). Buyer respondents generally supported theoretical mandates by airlines that passengers receive a vaccine before travel.
About 40% of the 274 to 340 travel managers and procurement professionals polled (response numbers varied per question) by GBTA from Feb. 8 to 18 indicated they thought corporate mandates to be tested for the virus before employees would be allowed to travel would be good policy, and 39% thought likewise of a vaccine requirement. About 24% said a vaccine requirement would be bad policy, while 16% indicated a testing requirement would be. A little more than one in five respondents said they were "indifferent" to either question, while the remainder weren't sure.
Meanwhile, twice as many travel managers surveyed (56% to 28%) indicated that they supported airline requirements that any passenger must be vaccinated against Covid-19, once the vaccines "become widely available around the world." No carrier throughout the world has instituted such a requirement. The remaining 16% of travel managers surveyed said they were not sure if they would support one.
The survey is the latest in a series of monthly polls GBTA has conducted of its membership to gauge Covid-19 recovery sentiment. About 55% of travel manager respondents in the February poll indicated their travelers were "somewhat willing" or "very willing" to travel for business. Up from 49% in January. About 17% said their travelers were "not willing" or "not willing at all" to travel, down from 24% in January.
"As vaccination programs ramp up globally, traveler and corporate confidence is starting to return," said GBTA interim executive director Dave Hilfman in a statement. "It is reassuring to hear so much discussion around business travel resuming and a change in sentiment from 16% to 25% of GBTA members and stakeholders who have resumed some domestic business travel in the last month."
Source: Business Travel News