BT4Europe, the European network of business travel associations, has published a position paper urging the corporate travel industry to unite and increase its resilience after the Covid-19 pandemic. The group has called on the EU to learn from the pandemic and develop a new regulatory framework that will better prepare the industry for potential future crises.
The position paper highlights several challenges that the European corporate travel sector is currently facing, such as understaffing, travel-related ticketing and pricing restrictions, and an outdated regulatory regime. BT4Europe has urged the EU to create a level playing field for all modes of transport on ticketing and pricing, including cross-border travel, by implementing a “one-stop” ticketing system through the Multimodal Mobility Digital Services initiative.
Odete Pimenta da Silva, the chair of BT4Europe’s Economic Impact Working Group, has emphasized the need for the EU to adopt uniform rules and reduce bureaucracy to allow easier cross-border working and job rotation. She also called for the EU to use its planned review of passenger rights rules to provide end-to-end protection for travellers, which will support the move towards multi-modal journeys.
Pimenta da Silva has stated that not enough has been learned from the pandemic, and there is a need for new guidance and tools to be developed for potential future health measures. She believes that the industry and the EU need to work together to overcome these challenges and create a more robust and resilient business travel framework.
According to Pimenta da Silva, seamless mobility across borders is currently a challenge and a fragmented experience for passengers. She believes that standardization and a level playing field on ticketing and prices, including cross-border ticketing, will help address this challenge. She has called for the wider industry and the EU to come out of their “silos” and work together to address these issues.
In conclusion, BT4Europe hopes that by working together, the industry and the EU can create a sustainable and resilient business travel industry that contributes to the economic development and growth of Europe. The group believes that it is essential to bring the message of the importance of business travel to national governments and to be more visible in promoting the benefits of business travel to the economy.
