Twenty-nine percent of travel managers report they do not know how long it would take to locate affected employees in a crisis. According to a study by the Global Business Travel Association’s research and education arm, the GBTA Foundation, and Concur, 50 percent of travel managers say that, in the event of an emergency, they can locate all of their employees in the affected areas in two hours or less. Sixty percent of travel managers rely on travelers to reach out if they need help and have not booked through proper channels.

“Research reveals significant gaps in educating travelers about resources available to them and the existence of protocols should the unforeseen happen,” says Kate Vasiloff, GBTA Foundation Director of Research. “Failing to establish and communicate safety measures leaves travelers and organizations vulnerable. As both security threats and technology evolve, even the most robust protocols that once served companies well may now have weaknesses requiring immediate attention and modification.”

The report notes that 85 percent of travel programs include risk management protocols, but only 62 percent of international travelers are given pre-travel information and 53 percent are given information on local providers for medical and security assistance services before leaving the country.

To manage the complexity of duty of care programs, 65 percent of organizations retain the services of third-party safety and security companies, and at those organizations, four out of five travel managers report travelers can be tracked anywhere at any time.