{"id":28196,"date":"2023-01-31T04:16:39","date_gmt":"2023-01-31T04:16:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.battleface.com\/partner-insights\/smes-are-leading-the-business-travel-rebound-but-facing-greater-risks\/"},"modified":"2024-08-14T14:51:04","modified_gmt":"2024-08-14T14:51:04","slug":"smes-are-leading-the-business-travel-rebound-but-facing-greater-risks","status":"publish","type":"partner-insights","link":"https:\/\/rebrand2.bfstagesite.com\/en-eu\/partner-insights\/smes-are-leading-the-business-travel-rebound-but-facing-greater-risks\/","title":{"rendered":"SMEs are leading the business travel rebound \u00e2\u20ac\u201c but facing greater risks"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Business travel bookings in the UK are now exceeding pre-pandemic levels with small and medium-sized businesses spearheading that rebound, according to a leading travel management company.<\/h2>

Donna Joines, general manager of Corporate Traveller UK<\/span><\/a><\/u>, part of Flight Centre Travel Group<\/a><\/u>, said that British SMEs were playing a \u201chuge role<\/a><\/u>” in economic recovery following the disruption caused by COVID.<\/h3>

SMEs account for 99.9% of all UK businesses and a substantial percentage engage in both domestic and international business travel. The easing of COVID-related travel restrictions globally throughout 2022 offered hope of a return to \u2018business as usual\u2019 for many of these companies \u2013 but that return is not without its risks.<\/p>

Travel uncertainty and unplanned costs<\/h4>

Rising fuel costs, staff shortages and increased demand have all contributed to a substantial rise in travel costs and for SMEs – especially those with fewer than 50 employees – these costs represent a much larger share of their overall operating budgets.<\/span><\/p>

Their relative size also makes them more susceptible to unplanned costs caused by factors including cancelled, curtailed or delayed flights, government travel advisories, personal liability, lost or damaged baggage, personal security or COVID-19 medical expenses.<\/span><\/p>

Business Travel cover designed with SMEs in mind<\/h4>

When battleface launched its dedicated. Business Travel Plan<\/a><\/u> last year it was with these types of travellers in mind. The product is targeted at organisations with travelling employees and contractors across all business sectors including corporate, NGOs, educational Institutions and many others.<\/p>

Amongst the benefits specific to SMEs is the ability to tailor cover and benefits to match specific travel requirements, enabling businesses to avoid needless costs.<\/p>

Supported by battleface<\/h4>

Our business travel and medical expenses policies, underwritten by certain underwriters at Lloyd\u2019s, are valid for a period of 12 months from a mutually agreed start date, and cover directors and employees for trips<\/p>