In the past months, SAP has been conducting several kinds of research in partnership with credible research companies to help organisations around the globe get a better perspective of the impact of COVID-19 and help them prepare in the new world of work. For instance, SAP and Oxford Economics conducted a global survey on the digital maturity of SMEs and SAP Concur commissioned a study with Asia Insight about the finance transformation in APAC.

For the business travel segment, SAP Concur has released new research on the impact of the pandemic, new measures, and business travellers’ expectations from their companies. In partnership with Wakefield Research, the survey was conducted in May-June 2020 in 23 markets, including the Asia Pacific region. 

The Business Travel Survey

The report stated that despite the extreme changes and challenges in travel today, travelling remains irreplaceable in fulfilling critical business demands. As travel is anticipated to resume soon, it is expected though that the health and safety of travellers alongside stricter policies and trip preparation will be the absolute priority. 

In this article, we focus on the response of the 1,750 business travellers surveyed in the Asia Pacific region.

Dr. Carl Jones, Vice President and Head of Travel for the Asia Pacific and Greater China at SAP Concur, shared: 

“In this new normal, emerging expectations around health and safety requires the travel industry to adapt, innovate, and transform. We believe that only with such support can employees confidently resume travel, continue to deliver on work commitments, and service customers as they did before Covid-19.”

On Handling the Change

About 48{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} of the business travellers in APAC said that the actual trip is the most stressful part, an increase in last year’s 31{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22}. 21{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} said that they find the preparation for a trip as the most stressful part while 31{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} shared they felt more stressed after a trip.

On Health and Safety

Concerning health and safety while travelling for business, more than two in five respondents said it is their utmost priority. Meanwhile, 17{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} of business travellers still believe that attending to business needs should be their top priority.

91{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} of businesses travellers in APAC had unequivocal concerns on travel resuming. The three countries in the region that had the majority of respondents place personal health and safety as a priority are China (57{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22}), Malaysia (55{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22}), and Taiwan (53{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22}).

Globally, 96{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} identified at least one measure they consider to be critical for their company to implement when travel resumes. These are mandatory personal health screenings for traveling employees (39{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22}), limiting business travel to only the most business-critical trips (39{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22}), and easier access to personal protective equipment like gloves or facemasks (33{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22}).

On Company Accountability

When business travel resumes, business travellers expect their companies to be accountable for ensuring their health and safety. To boost morale and confidence of business travellers, organisations are expected to endorse only approved and safe airlines and hotels; properly communicate changing ground situations; and provide accessible 24/7 assistance.

Helping the Business Travel Community

Aside from this survey that can help organisations strategise for their employees’ business trips, SAP Concur also recently launched a Traveler Resource Center in TripIt, which is a collection of resources including public health and safety advisories, cancellation policies and new travel guidelines to aid business travellers safely plan their next trip.

To further support the business travel segment, SAP Concur will hold the SAP Concur Travel Industry Summit on 17 September 2020. The one-day complimentary virtual event is designed to encourage cross-industry, government, and business community dialogue in addressing the current and future needs of business travel.

The post SAP Concur Studies Business Travel in the Asia Pacific appeared first on InsideSAP Asia.