Business travel in Spain has doubled since the beginning of the year

With vaccination indicators improving in Western countries, international business travel is trending upward thanks to the lifting of restrictions in many countries. In Spain alone, there has been a 200% increase since the beginning of 2021, reports International SOS.

As the travel healthcare and security risk management company reminds us, the rate of vaccination against covid-19 continues to improve: 54% of the world population has at least one dose of the vaccine, 69% in the case of US population and 70%, of European Union citizens.

In this context, international business travel tends to recover thanks to the lifting of restrictions in many countries: in Spain alone, there has been a 200% increase since the beginning of 2021, according to data managed by International SOS.

This represents a 10% monthly increase in international business travel, and a 13% monthly increase in domestic business travel. In fact, the International Air Transport Association (IATA)  forecasts growth by 2022 over pre-pandemic levels of 75% in international travelers and 93% in demand for domestic flights.

News such as the White House announcement that foreign travelers with a full vaccination schedule can travel to the U.S.from November 8 is also driving this increase. That's why 3 out of 4 professionals surveyed by the Global Business Travelers Association (GBTA) believe these measures will boost the industry's recovery in the next six months.

However, it is still too early for travel to return to pre-pandemic normalcy.Santiago Álvarez de Toledo, International SOS country manager for Spain and Portugal explains that, “although at International SOS we are seeing a gradual recovery in business travel, there are still risks that organizations should not overlook, such as new variants of the virus”.

The executive also highlights the fact that “it is now 9 times more likely that travelers may require evacuation for medical problems”.

 

For these reasons, International SOS recommends that internationally active companies and organizations take expert advice to adapt their travel policies and reduce the risks to their workforce.