How Travel Visas and Assessing Risks Changed During the Pandemic


Skift Take

Providing Covid-19 updates and other advice became big business during the crisis, and looks set to become even more important as governments experiment with reopening their borders.

Travel risk intelligence is evolving. And like constantly changing destination rules and restrictions, keeping up can be hard. But there are a few trends starting to emerge as borders reopen and corporate travel agencies look to guide hesitant business travelers. The so-called “duty of care” part of travel management has always been one of its priorities, but it's shot up the agenda over the past 18 months or so.

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In a recent survey, 31 percent of respondents said their company was developing new safety resources or information for travelers, working on developing a timeline for resuming travel, or updating travel policies, according to the Global Business Travel Association poll. After the pandemic, how agencies offer their customers such critical risk advice — from Covid hotspots to visa documents — is set to become even more important. Battling Covid Misinformation In a world of data feeds and automated messaging, one intelligence platform is finding the human touch is in demand. "There’s still a need for that human element," said Suzanne Sangiovese, commercial and communications director at Riskline. It typically hires a couple of analysts a year but took on eight new r