India is steadily cementing its place as one of the world’s fastest-growing business travel markets, but the safety of its business travellers remains a concern, according to a survey by SAP Concur, an American company, providing travel and expense management services to businesses. The survey questioned 500 business travellers to India to understand what factors dominate their travel plans and how they prioritize safety, comfort and convenience. An overwhelming percentage of female and LGBTQI+ travelers reported being harassed or feeling unsafe during their trips to India.
The survey was primarily initiated to gauge India’s impact as an important travel market and how corporate travel here is propelled by end-to-end technology-centric solutions, preferences and mindset.
“Societal issues and employee experiences are increasingly impacting the way we travel. With these shifts come new expectations from traveling employees that shouldn’t go unnoticed,” said Christopher A. Juneau, Senior Vice President, Global Cloud Strategic Programs, SAP Concur. “While companies continue to try and maximize traveler satisfaction, the reality is that employees are hungry for more empathy, guidance and better technology as they run into both common frustrations and unique individual concerns, leaving room for improvement among organizations of all sizes.”
Some of the findings of the survey include female and LGBTQ+ travelers reporting high levels of harassment, and companies ill-equipped to deal with unique travel problems.
- 87 per cent of female business travellers to India have been harassed on a business trip, and 62 per cent say they have suffered the indignity of being asked if they were traveling with their husband
- Nearly three in four LGBTQI+ members admitted to hiding their sexuality on a business trip out of concern for their safety
- 88 per cent have experienced safety concerns while on a business trip in the last 12 months
- Millennial business travelers are more sensitive to current events. In the last 12 months, 52 per cent of millennial business travelers have reduced travel to a location because of political unrest or health hazards
- 77 per cent of business travelers to India agree their employers are lagging when it comes to adopting latest technologies to manage business travelers
- 67 per cent of business travelers to India believe in experiencing gap in technology adoption for booking and expense reporting tools
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