• www.travelinsurance.co.uk
• www.columbusdirect.com
• www.acebusinesstravel.com
• www.insureandgo.com

Its only a small list, but the sites mentioned do a very good job at providing travel insurance for business people.

In particular, Columbus currently have some great insurance deals for business travelers, but all companies in the list would be suitable for SME business travelers in the UK.

The energy saving cars have been provided by ‘National Car Rental’ and will be helping the energy company to reduce its carbon footprint.

The cars will be used by SSE in 10 different locations throughout the UK for their staff to use for business travel. The locations to benefit from the 15 cars were selected when the company analysed its use of rental cars in 2007.

Linda Armit is the Facilities Manager for Scottish and Southern Energy.

The addition of the Prius means we will be able to make a significant reduction in the emissions produced by staff on business travel and help ensure we meet our travel policy environmental objectives. Our partnership with National offers us the flexibility to create a rental solution that meets our changing needs and guarantees we optimise the usage of these Prius.

There are two sides to this argument – yes BAA raised fees, but it was within the allowed band by industry watchdogs, as well as this, Ryanair received discounts in the past for using Stansted, but they do not receive the discounts anymore.  However, Ryanair are currently struggling, and these increased fess could push them over the edge, as they are already looking at making a loss for the year due to the high cost of oil.

There is a lot of interesting business travel news involving budget airlines at the moment – high oil prices are causing all sorts of issues!

The financial sector has lead the way with several companies adopting very strict green travel plans.  However, its not the fact that its green, its more that its a cost-saving excercise, which you would expect from the financial sector.

Graham Cooper, of Bibby Financial Services said: “Corporate and social responsibility has moved up nearly every business’s agenda over the past few years and it is clear from our research that owners and managers are taking action by reducing the amount of time spent on the road.”

The North East however, falls behind businesses in the Midlands and North West when it comes to adopting new, green, and cheaper business travel practices.

Also the rising fuel costs is forcing Welsh businesses to change their policies on meeting with suppliers and clients, with face-to-face meetings being reduced in favour of virtual meetings and conference calls.

The research conducted by Bibby Financial Services shows that 54% of small businesses based in Wales have altered their approach to business travel for environmental reasons.

They’ve also found that a third of Welsh businesses have cut down their face-to-face meetings and a quarter of Welsh businesses have abandoned their cars in favour of trains.

It is a worrying sign say some business analysts.  Lots of companies had decided to move even their most prestigious business travelers on budget airlines following price increases from larger companies such as BA, but with smaller companies seemingly looking to increase their own prices to stay in profit, it could be a closed avenue.

Isn’t it time for telepresence, guys?

Most companies in the UK who responded to the survey said they would limit non-essential travel plans, but wouldn’t place a ban on business travel altogether. 20% of those canvassed said they had considered a total ban, but stated that even if they were to introduce the ban, it would only be a short-term solution.

30% of British businesses said that the energy prices and increased fuel costs had very little effect on their business travel policies.

Videoconferencing is being utilised by businesses however to stay in touch with partners and colleagues in other countries.

Colin Goldney works for Argate Consulting, he claimed that any businesses who did place a block on their business travel could find it difficult to pick up again once the economy recovers.

If companies look to technology over mandating travel bans, this presents different options for the future.

When the economy picks up, changes in behaviour due to increased exposure to videoconferencing could result in executives travelling far less than before.

The answer to the question of whether this is really likely to happen is the same as the answer to whether we are moving into recession.

The Business Travel Week will run during the same period as the show, between the dates of February 9th – 13th.

In addition to this, events such as a conference for travel buyers (which is planned for 3 days) and one for agents (2 days) are also planned.

The idea behind the week is apparently to “unite the European business travel industry”.

Over 730 travellers completed a survey relating to business trips within Australia, and almost a third (33%) said that Melbourne was their preferred destination. Only 27% declared Sydney the premium location for business trips, with Brisbane and Perth trailing in third and fourth place respectively.

Megan Magill of Wotif.com stated:

This is the third year in a row that Melbourne has taken the top spot, relegating Australia’s top-selling destination, Sydney, to second place each year.

However London is the destination of choice when the world is their oyster, according to research. London comes top when compared to cities such as New York and Paris.

The top destinations for business travel around the world are:

1. London
2. New York
3. Hong Kong
4. Paris
5. Singapore
6. Japan
7. Bangkok
8. Auckland
9. Hawaii
10. Dubai