BCD Travel?s 2011 Review / 2012 Preview

2011: The Year in Review

 

 

Higher prices
Managing increased airfares and hotel rates. Airlines have remained disciplined in their capacity, helping them to regain some of their pricing power, while higher occupancy rates have pushed up average daily hotel rates, too.
Rose Stratford, senior vice president, Global Supplier Relations

Asian event shocks
There have been numerous natural disasters, including Japan, Australia and, most recently, Thailand. We’ve also contended with crises caused by the financial woes of Indian airlines and the Qantas strike in Australia. All of these events mean that we, like our clients, have needed to remain vigilant and flexible, and constantly plan for the unknown. Flexibility has also been tested by phenomenal growth (a 30 percent increase, year-over-year, in bookings for BCD Travel in Asia-Pacific). Skill shortages, low unemployment (only 2 percent in Singapore) and rising salaries and costs are familiar challenges for all companies in the region. A great example of the APAC boom: Four of the world’s 10 most expensive cities are in China.
Greg O’Neil, president, Asia-Pacific region

The new normal
Steering travel programs successfully through the new normal of major incidents like the Arab Spring and Japanese earthquake and tsunami means being ready for more — and more frequent — interaction with potentially affected travelers.
Torsten Kriedt, vice president, Product Planning & Intelligence

Lack of technology investment
Uncertainty inhibited innovations in technology because companies are still tapping the brakes on investment, even though this is an ideal time to leapfrog competitors as they cut costs.
Miriam Moscovici, senior director, Emerging Technologies

Confused outlook
The euro crisis is causing some companies to worry we are on the brink of economic meltdown, and we are seeing some stagnation as a result. It is making forecasting, planning and budgeting very difficult. With my ACTE president’s hat on, I also am concerned about finding, training and keeping young talent for the travel industry. The average age of employees in many travel management companies is early 40s.
Chris Crowley, senior vice president, Global Client Management and president, Association of Corporate Travel Executives

What was the biggest breakthrough or most important development?

Mobile matters
Mobile technology has continued to expand as more and more travelers adopt smartphones or tablets. With travelers becoming more IT-savvy, companies are having to modify travel policies to address the expanding technology of apps and offerings outside their traditional booking channels.
Rose Stratford

APAC in the driver’s seat
Asia-Pacific is becoming a driver market in global bids. In 2011, BCD Travel saw a sharp jump in bids being generated from within APAC. In more developed markets, like Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines, customers are asking for stronger centralization of services. Business intelligence, profile management and travel risk management are in demand across the region.
Greg O’Neil

Putting travelers first
The renaissance of traveler-centric programs, but this time with a twist: aiming for better-than-policy compliance.
Torsten Kriedt

Improved communication
The modernization of the client enterprise is enabling the travel program to reveal itself in ways that are more natural to the traveler. Clients are investing in mobile strategies and sophisticated communication and collaboration tools that, when leveraged to the fullest, can take the influence of the managed travel program to a whole new level.
Miriam Moscovici

Understanding the value of travel
Buyers have reassessed the value of what travel brings to their company through key performance indicators such as travel spend against sales. I have also seen a genuine integration of meetings and travel management, sometimes consolidating to a single P&L or charging methodology.
Chris Crowley

2012: The Year Ahead

Name an important issue travel managers have to watch out for next year.

Airline headaches
Airlines are cautiously optimistic about the year ahead and have already begun cutting capacity.  This will continue to drive higher fares unless demand slows. U.S. buyers, especially, should keep an eye on the outcome of the disputes between American Airlines and global distribution systems, which may be determined by court rulings. Airline credit card surcharges will continue to proliferate as carriers have been successful in introducing them in Europe in 2011.
Rose Stratford

Consolidation in Asia
Distribution channels in Asia will remain fragmented, mainly because of government regulation and ownership in countries like China and Japan.. I anticipate continued focus on regional consolidation of telephone-based reservations, although this could attract considerable local resistance. On a separate note, crisis management and disaster recovery will become increasingly important responsibilities for travel managers.
Greg O’Neil

More accessible data
2012 will be the year that interactive and visual spend analysis across different data sources will be adopted as a new standard in progressive program management.
Torsten Kriedt

Talk to your travelers
Next year is going to be all about strategic communication and traveler engagement. Influencing the traveler to make the best buying decision throughout the trip life cycle, for any reimbursable expense, is the final frontier — and now you can reach them at the right time, and wherever they may be.
Miriam Moscovici

Power to the people
If we can avoid an economic crash, we will see a move from rigidly established travel programs to giving budgetary control to cost-center owners, provided they live within the supplier framework. I also think there will be a huge argument about ownership of data and that the ability to control commercial situations through alliances will be tested by corporate clients.
Chris Crowley

What one thing would you really like to happen next year (even if you think it is unlikely to happen) that would improve business travel/travel management?

A healthier business environment
Economic growth and financial stability top my wish list. There is still a lot of uncertainty, particularly in Europe and the United States. In the year ahead, we need a healthy economy to build consumer and business confidence, which will stimulate more travel demand.
Rose Stratford

Improved GDSs
More alignment of the GDSs, including better transparency of content and more parity between fares in different distribution channels.
Greg O’Neil

Better IT connectivity
Open APIs (application programming interfaces) to help inter-connect all systems in the travel planning, booking, payment, expense and tax process so companies and travelers can decide for themselves how and with whom to share which data, and enjoy the fruits of emerging innovations.
Torsten Kriedt

A rail revolution
I’d like to see rail in Europe tied up with a nice bow: shoppable, bookable, serviceable, the whole deal.  The good news is that the industry is making a lot of progress on that front.
Miriam Moscovici

Open dialogue
I would like to find a way for a more transparent, open dialogue between the fixed positions of distribution systems, suppliers, clients and intermediaries. It doesn’t sound to me like everyone is trying to find a solution that genuinely meets the needs of travelers. If we don’t self-regulate soon, someone is going to come in and regulate us.
Chris Crowley

Related Posts
BCD Corporate Travel Wins Innovation Award at Business Travel Show
Mobile mandate
Corporate Travel Management Navigating Economic Volatility
The rise of corporate travel in Asia
BCD Travel signs with online technology solutions partner, Sabre Pacific

Ensure You Travel With Travel Insurance

There are a lot of people who make travel plans. Unfortunately some times the plans fall through. A flight could be cancel with no refund giving. A hotel could cancel your stay for some reason or another. There could be an emergency with family that prevents the person from traveling.

There is a way protect a person in case something happens. You can take out Travel insurance to cover medical expenses and financials or other losses while traveling. It could come in very handy. If a person has cover and they can not go on the trip then they get a full refund back providing certain conditions are met. There are many different kind of cover including business, student, and leisure travel. There are many other coverage options too including cruise, travel, and international travel. No matter what the person is traveling for the it is a very good investment to make.

Travel insurance is very affordable. The coverage type is what determines the price and it is usually offered at the time of booking a trip. If the trip is being booked online through a web site then usually right before the payment section that is where it is offered. Some travels web sites even give it to you at no extra charge. If the person is booking through a travel agency then they usually try and upsell it to you and is usually much more expensive than when booking the trip online.

There are travel insurance web sites that have very affordable options. These web sites have twenty four hour customer service ready to help a person out. One of the most important things to do while researching is to compare coverage and prices.

The most important thing to remember about traveling is to always be prepared. Traveling with travel insurance helps to keep a person mind at ease and it helps to protect the trip and having it is a very smart decision.

Traveller?s Diarrhoea Traveller?s Enemy

The place is ideal for your preference, all the things you need are packed and with you, camera is full-charged and so ready to capture special moments and other important events, and the whole vibe is great, but the only factor in bad shape is YOU. Travelling is a great experience for anyone; it can be a venture to be audacious and discover new things, get in touch with new environment and people, a very important affair, or anything that is worth spending your time for, but in the event that there a big wall of hindrance blocks your productivity and enjoyment, it will surely ruin everything.

Say for an example, the traveller’s diarrhoea, it is the most common illness attacking backpackers from developed countries spending a matter of days or weeks in developing parts of the world, and regarded as every traveller’s enemy, thinking that the risk is very high (estimates vary from 30 to 80% of travelers).

So, what is diarrhoea or traveller’s diarrhoea in the first place? Well basically, this condition is characterized by increased frequency of loose bowel movements or stools in 24-hour period matched with abdominal cramps, bloating, toilet urgencies, nausea, vomiting, mild fever and even blood in stools for some serious cases (or dysentery). It is acquired through ingestion of contaminated food or drinks that is spread by poor hygiene. The microorganisms responsible for traveller’s diarrhoea range from bacteria to viruses to parasites, and they are the following: Escherichia coli (E. coli)—which is the primary cause of this illness approximates 40% of all cases, Salmonella, Shigella, Campylobacter, Rotavirus, Norovirus and Giardia.

The reason why travelers from industrialized or developed countries are more prone to this illness is because of the drastic and rapid change in the type of organisms in their gastrointestinal tract, wherein these organisms responsible for TD is basically alien to them since they are not present in the environment they are used to. Meanwhile, developing countries, which are the high-risk areas, such as Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Central and Southern America find these organisms harmless, which can be presumably because they have gained immunity on them.

Because of this kind of case, remember that prevention is your best weapon. Equip yourself with enough knowledge you’ll need to protect yourself, practice the basics yet important principle of good hygiene, and see to it to cook your food properly especially the meats, poultry and seafood, handle and prepare the foods properly, and avoid risky foods and risky areas to eat. It is also important that you pack antimotility medications, oral rehydration solutions and antibiotics along with you just to prepare when the sudden onset of traveller’s diarrhoea occurs.

International Travel Insurance: A Must For Travelers

International travel insurance has been a catch phrase for people who have taken trips abroad and have visited different places across the globe. All the trips of people have normally been accompanied with travel insurance to cover the said trip and protect the individual. But the question remains as to what these travel insurance policies really are and if these are truly justified with the welfare of the traveler.

As a matter of course, these insurance policies are very important to say the least. There are explanations of course, as to why such insurance is very important to the tourist or the traveler. It is worthy to note of several reasons in making the acquisition of travel insurance an important exercise.

When it comes to international travel insurance, there are many choices and alternatives to take. There is an inventory of choices for you to take and there are different plans which may be tailor fit to suit your requirements and cover you for any accident which may happen in the course of your traveling.

There are basically four types of insurance coverage terms.

1) Emergency medical insurance. This provides full coverage for diagnosis and medical attention to an injury or illness which happens during travel.

2) Trip interruption or cancellation. The reasons for trip cancellation are varied and may range within the following reasons: illness, forfeiture of assets, traffic accident along the way, termination from employment, crime, terrorist attack, inclement weather, strike, or other civic duties.

3) Misplaced luggage insurance. This insurance answers the costs of lost, stolen, damaged or delayed luggage for more than 12 hours against personal items and expenses.

4) Trip accident coverage. This basically provides insurance coverage during your flights abroad.

You should take extra care to plan ahead and prepare enough for you and your family when considering which worldwide travel insurance to take. While opting not to take insurance for yourself, it is best to realize that saving a few dollars might not be worth it compared to the potential risk you take when you do not have a comprehensive insurance coverage.

For a miniscule amount of money, you can afford good and adequate protection for you and your family with travel insurance for any unforeseen circumstance or emergency situation. It is better to be insured comprehensively, with provisions for insurance that is wide-ranging, from delayed luggage to flight cancellation. Remember that the few dollars you save from not getting insurance may not be worth the risk you are exposing yourself.

Similar to other insurance coverage policies, the travel insurance functions by taking into consideration all the possible risks and untoward circumstances which may happen to you and your family. While the insurer would present you with the different insurance coverage proposals, it is up to you to select which program or coverage would best suit your needs.

India Travel,India Travel Tours

Indian Furniture industry is seeing a very good boom and is considered to be an ever growing industry. Our country is manufacturing and exporting high level of quality furniture in terms of design, fashion and technology. Indian furniture has built a strong image all across the world. Furniture industry requires the employment of a wide variety of raw materials in quite large proportions. The range of these materials includes wood, wood base panel, leather, glass, plastic, metals and textile etc. Different furniture such as sofas, chairs, wardrobes, mattresses, kitchens etc are manufactured in various types, size, shapes, and color combinations to meet the requirements of different places like schools, institutional, offices and residential.

There are a good bundle of factors contributing towards the growth of the Furniture Industry.

These factors are-
- Change in Life style: The concept of good living and better lifestyle has change for the middle class Indians. Interior designing is not only confined to rich and wealthy Indians. The middle class people now do not mind paying an added buck in getting their homes decorated with modern and designer furniture.
- Increase in Disposable Income: The disposable income available to the people has quiet increased, and this increase in disposable income helps people to spend for the betterment of lifestyle and so the other way to the growth of furniture Industry.
- Globalization: It has also lead to the increased demand of the Furniture and so contributed towards the good scope for Wood Furniture Exporters.
- Media: Medias play a vital role in making people learn about the betterment in lifestyle and the lots of available options.
- Interior Designers: Interior Designers also play a very important role in the growth of Furniture Industry. They utilize the wooden furniture to fix in the area getting decorated.
- Furniture Trade Fairs: Furniture vendors participate in the International Furniture trade fairs for increased exposure and thus these contributes towards the growth of Furniture Industry.

The Indian Furniture whether be it Wood Home Furniture of Oak, Mahogani, Shisham, Devdaar woods, or Wood Garden Furniture which creates a cozy seating nooks all plays a crucial role in creating a classy n stylish interior at home. The current scenario shows a good growth in Furniture Industry. The market of wooden furniture alone contributes to the share of nearly Rs 60 crore. According to a recent study, the industry is expected to grow by 20 per cent in near future.

 

Travel Assured With Travel Insurance

Traveling around the world is one the biggest dreams of most people. Traveling also gives people the opportunity to learn more about other people, places, cultures, and more. However, traveling is also tiring and has risks involved. This is why some people are scared to travel much. You should take note that accidents do happen during unexpected times and they may also happen during travels. But traveling is worth the risk when you will get to learn more than what you might be able to by being stuck in one place all your life. Traveling will expose you to things that you will never see within the four walls of your house, of your school classroom, and of your office.

To be quite certain and to put yourself at ease while you enjoy and take in all the pleasure from traveling, you have to cover yourself under travel insurance. Travel insurance will grant you the assurance that even if you are not at home and you are not near your favorite clinic, you will still be well-taken cared of in cases when you might get sick, hurt, or injured in any way while traveling.

Even if you are already grown-ups, you should still apply your camping motto and mode of "always being ready." An ever ready mode means that you must take the proactive measure of insuring yourself against future expenses. Medical expenses vary from one country to another. If unfortunately, you will get sick in a country that charge expensive bills for medical care, you will not be too burdened with the bill.

Another thing is that when you travel, you would more likely try out the activities that a particular place offers. For example, you might want to try the sand dune rides. However, you might also be exposed to sandstorms, or your car might accidentally overturn while you drive it fast. When you meet accidents like these, you need not worry about your medical expenditures.

If you have travel insurance, you will also be assured that if you might accidentally lose one of your plenty baggage upon flight transfer from one plane to another, you will be able to recover the amount of those things inside the lost baggage. This will help you endure the unfortunate loss of some of your necessary possessions. This will also allow you to buy new replacements so as to continue your travel without taking your loss to the heart.

If you have travel insurance, you will also be assisted with the amount of money that you have spent on tickets that you may not be able to use especially if you have decided to cancel out your booking schedule due to an emergency.

Chardham Travel

Chardham Offers is the Travel Agency having various Travel Packages and services for the clients. Chardham India Pilgrimage Tour is promoted by the Advenure Pilgrimage India Tour. There are several Tour Operates provides all types of Pilgrimage services and packages to the clients. We provide the Travel Packages according to the budget of the clients. Some people come with the large groups and some are with small groups. Some clients need luxury facilities like luxury cars and luxury hotel accommodation. So according to the facilities to the clients the budget of the package is either increased or decreased. We have also some economical Chardham Tour Package  for the general level clients who can’t bear the expenditure of the costly Travel Package.


All the Travel Tours of India, Chardham Travel is the most famous Travel Tour.

It covers all the four famous Pilgrimage Dhams of Hindu religion. Chardham Tour contains four Dhams, these are Gangotri, Yamunotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath. Each Dham has a Temple devoted to the God like Gangotri devoted to Goddess Ganga , Yamunotri devoted to Goddess Yamuna , Kedarnath devoted to Lord Shiva and the last Badrinath is devoted to Lord Vishnu.  These Pilgrimage destinations are located at Uttrakhand, state of India. Chardham Pilgrimage Tour starts at the month of May to October of every year. The weather and climate of these Dhams is very nice and cold throughout the whole year. So people get memorable enjoyment from this Yatra.


Chardhamoffers is a Uttrakhand India baesd Travel Agency offers Tours to all Pilgrimage destinations in India. We provide complete Pilgrimage Tour Packages having accommodation facility and Transport facilitities. This Chardham Yatra must be visited from left to right, starting from Yamunotri then Gangotri, Kedarnath and the last to Badrinath. This Agency has some Tourist Packages are available for the upcoming  Chardham Yatra 2012.  Peoples can book your Tour according to their budget online from our website (chardhamoffers.com). The Hindu Peoples believes that after visiting these Chardham we acquire Moksha in our life because this Yatra has a religious significance in our life. Some people said about Char Dham that heaven and earth converge in these holy spots.