FCM Travel Solutions has unveiled Traveller Hub, an interactive resource providing extensive up-to-date Covid-19 travel information, which also sports an AI conversation-based messaging tool that enables users to seek answers to any coronavirus-related travel questions in real-time.
Users can search by supplier category, country or region for the latest news on border changes and restrictions; airline routes and safety procedures for travellers; hotel re-openings and hygiene measures; as well as rail travel and car hire announcements.
Traveller resources also include tips, frequently asked questions and useful links to help customers plan and pack for their next trip safely. The Traveller Hub also features a live interactive map, delivered by travel safety specialist Sitata, which shows areas to avoid, number of Covid-19 cases per country, recovery rates, and local social distancing rules.
In addition, Traveller Hub incorporates an AI conversation-based messaging tool on the home page provided by technology developer Landbot. This chatbot is embedded in the site and enables users to seek answers to any coronavirus-related travel questions in a live chat environment.
The Traveller Hub is fully integrated within FCM Hub, and can also be accessed via Sam, the AI-based mobile app.
These efforts stem from the results from a second part of the State of the Market survey by FCM, which found that most companies will only resume business travel if their organisation deems it safe to do so, and a majority will also revamp their travel policies to reflect increased duty of care considerations post Covid-19.
The same pool of 1,600 business travel managers, bookers and travellers in EMEA, Asia, the Americas, India, Australia and New Zealand, was surveyed again in this second poll.
The purpose of repeating the study within one month of the first poll was to enable FCM to gauge any shift in clients’ business travel intentions as countries continue to review lockdown restrictions, implement quarantine periods or air corridors; and as airlines and hotels introduce hygiene and sanitation measures.
When asked to rank which triggers would prompt resuming business travel, easing or lifting border restrictions still came top with 93 per cent of respondents saying it has significant or some impact. However, the second trigger (89 per cent) is “our organisation deems it safe to travel and this is reflected in our travel policy”.
In terms of changes to travel policy post-Covid-19, 59 per cent said that traveller and supplier health and hygiene factors would be top priority. Duty of care obligations ranked the second most dominant area for change (44 per cent). Consolidation of bookings through a TMC also emerged as a priority with 21 per cent saying that they would not shift to higher levels of online booking adoption.
