将内乱添加到潜在旅行者中断列表中
byRichard D'Ambrosio/
French unions regularly shut down trains and blocked streets this past fall. In Hong Kong, clashes between protesters and the local police escalated late in 2019. Meanwhile, pro-independence protests in Spain turned violent in October.
Some experts are predicting these kinds of disruptions could only increase in the coming year, so subscribing to Google Alerts and news sites like CNN may not be enough to protect your clients.
医疗和安全旅行风险服务公司International SOS区域安全总监Matthew Bradley说:“ 2020年,2020年旅行者的第一风险将是地缘政治转变引起的内乱。”
More than half (52%) of the organizations that International SOS surveyed for its “2020 Travel Risk Outlook” believe geopolitical threats and civil unrest will be among the most likely causes of modified itineraries in 2020.
“Anecdotally, we have seen an increase in requests for information and assistance from our clients related to geopolitical shifts in Hong Kong, Chile, Ecuador, Bolivia, Lebanon and France, among other countries,” Bradley said.
布拉德利说:“为什么地缘政治转变被视为对旅行者如此冒险的统一趋势是由于普遍的不稳定感,不可预测性和该领域的变化速度。”“在旅行风险管理方面,地缘政治转变的一致主题和突然的性质已成为组织的弱点。”
International SOS operates regional security centers that are monitoring events on a 24/7 basis, and travel advisors and travelers can refer to the company’s 2020 Travel Risk Map, which shares country-by-country medical and security risk ratings based on recent events, upcoming events and findings from their “2020 Travel Risk Outlook.”
Resources to pass along to clients
布拉德利警告说:“设置Google警报是保持新闻最重要的一种方法,但它没有提供有关减轻旅行者面临的风险的建议。”
Travelable,LLC的无障碍冒险顾问Sarah Gricus Marshall让她的客户注册U.S. State Department’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP)to monitor developing situations and receive travel advisories.
Rob Stern, founder of robplansyourtrip.com, in Raleigh, North Carolina, uses the free email alerts from GardaWorld Corporation, a Canadian private security firm based in Montreal, Quebec. “You run the risk of being inundated, because you come to realize from their daily alerts that there are issues somewhere in the world every day,” he said. “But they provide an excellent service.”
Aside from GardaWorld, Stern also subscribes to some news websites. He said “the pace and quality of updates varies, but I likehttp://livingingreece.gr/strikes/,https://www.summerinitaly.com/traveltips/transport-strikes-in-italy,https://www.france24.com/en/,www.thelocal.itandwww.thelocal.fr。”
斯特恩说:“当我有客户前往脆弱的地区时,我在预订,出发前和客户旅行中检查这些网站。”
在12月5日在法国进行大罢工期间,斯特恩有客户需要重新安置后,SNCF取消了时间表并退还了客户在Strasbourg和Stuttgart之间的火车旅行。通过他的警报监视情况,Stern能够通过航空公司重新预订客户,并在取消火车后三天将他们带回家。
“作为一个代理,你必须跳上替代transport options quickly, since prices often jump during a crisis, as do one-way car rental rates,” Stern said.
他说:“罢工会导致旅行延迟,内乱或害怕,以防止进入机场和火车站,这是一条细线。”“在这种情况下,旅行保护计划可能不会超过食物和住宿的延误(如果有的话)。覆盖范围也经常没有帮助在不同城市或国家 /地区进行其他预付安排的客户。”斯特恩说。
“I keep up with current events, airline waiver notices, and regularly check the国家国家旅游信息页面for officially vetted security updates,” said Christina Schlegel, travel advisor and owner at Bluetail Travel, in Arlington, Virginia. Prior to launching her travel agency, Schlegel worked in international security, so she considers monitoring civil unrest and offering alerts to her clients a crucial part of her brand.
In her clients’ online and paper itineraries, Schlegel lists contact information for U.S. embassies and consulates in the areas they will be traveling in, the travel insurance 24/7 number, as well as instructions on how to call the in-country equivalent of 911, Schlegel said.
“内乱,极端天气和恐怖主义可能意外袭击。我希望我的旅行者做好准备,他们会为他们准备好紧急接触而感到安心。”她说。
Stern agreed with Schlegel, that his personal brand is on the line when things go wrong, and he wants to be out in front of issues both for his client’s sake, and because he likes to differentiate his service by being there for his clients throughout a trip.
“When you personally know that hotels in France may be sympathetic about waiving penalties, but those in Germany, or other destinations later in the trip, may not be, you can distinguish yourself in these moments,” he said.
Margie Lenau', Wonderland Family Vacations, in Walker, Michigan, says suppliers are usually very helpful keeping her informed.
Lenau说:“我看新闻,如果我看到一些我好奇的东西,我会打电话给供应商以获取更多信息。”“我还从航空公司那里获得了有关问题的警报,例如最近在阿姆斯特丹和法国进行了工业行动,并且航班被中断。虽然您无法预测一切,但我们会尽力保持知情。”
Canadian-born Jennifer Borgh, a destination wedding specialist and owner of Borghinvilla, a wedding venue in Jamaica, highly recommendsCanada’s travel advisory services. “I put a link to the site on each client invoice so they could check it out for themselves,” she said.
Borgh感到专门从事特定国家并且在那里旅行的经纪人通常很可能会在内乱期间获得竞争优势,因为他们对客户的旅行有了更深入的了解,并且可以减少模棱两可的媒体报道。
例如,当牙买加发出旅游警告last year for non-tourist areas, many uninitiated travel advisors panicked. “But those areas always had a problem – it was just that Jamaica was finally doing something about fixing it, and that caused the travel advisory. With proper education on a country, a traveler could easily avoid certain areas (just like we do in North America), and still enjoy their vacation,” Borgh said.
新泽西州科洛尼亚市Vista Travel Inc.的高级旅行顾问Barbara Kahn有两组客户本周离开 - 一套用于智利,另一个用于Hong King。“我一直与供应商保持密切联系。对于去香港的客户,我与家人住的酒店直接接触。”卡恩说。