Findings Available through Resource Hub www.nbta.org/swineflu

CONTACT:   
Caleb Tiller, +1 703-684-0836, ext. 138, ctiller@nbta.org 
Nicole Hayes, +1 703-684-0836, ext. 133, nhayes@nbta.org

May 4, 2009 (Alexandria, VA) -- The National Business Travel Association (NBTA) – the leading association for the business travel industry – today published findings of a survey of 113 travel managers on the impact on business travel of the current H1N1 influenza, or swine flu, outbreak.

Key findings include:

• Corporate travel divisions are focused on disseminating information on the illness and how to prepare for it.
• 61% of travel mangers indicate that their travelers are canceling trips to Mexico
• Preparedness is a common theme:
• 42% of respondents indicate that their Risk Management Programs include emergency help lines, hospitalization and evacuation assistance to deal with outbreaks of illnesses such as H1N1.
• 59% of respondents track the whereabouts of employees allowing them to provide better assistance during medical emergencies.
• Estimated cost impacts of H1N1 to date vary widely from company to company:
• 34% of respondents estimate that the changes, cancellations and loss of business have cost their companies less than US$500.
• 16% estimate expenses to be higher than US$50,000 when loss of business opportunities are taken in consideration on top of the cancellation and changes costs.

NBTA President & CEO, Kevin Maguire, CCTE, GLP, said, “The survey findings support what I have heard in conversations with dozens of my colleagues:  that travel managers are taking action to position their companies to meet this latest challenge. When the swine flu news first broke, they acted quickly to ensure their companies were able to keep travelers informed. Since then they’ve been tracking H1N1 developments on an ongoing basis and using that information to minimize risk through informed travel decision-making.”

To access the report and other business-travel related swine flu resources, see the NBTA Swine Flu Resource Hub – www.nbta.org/swineflu.

The National Business Travel Association (NBTA) is the world’s premier business travel and corporate meetings organization. NBTA and its regional affiliates – NBTA Australia / New Zealand, the Brazilian Business Travel Association (ABGEV), NBTA Canada, NBTA Europe, NBTA Mexico, and NBTA USA – serve a network of more than 17,000 business travel professionals around the globe with industry-leading events, networking, education & professional development, research, news & information, and advocacy. NBTA members, numbering more than 5,000 in 30 nations, are corporate and government travel and meetings managers, as well as travel service providers. They collectively manage and direct more than US$340 billion of global business travel and meetings expenditures annually on behalf of more than 13 million business travelers within their organizations. For more information, visit www.nbta.org