The Dubai Immigration Department used to have a reputation for being fair in every situation. Sadly, in these Covid-19 times, it does not seem to be the case. In this blog, I am going to put before you a case of a young man who went to Dubai with many dreams. Covid-19 destroyed his job and his dreams and on top of that, he had a Dubai Immigration Penalty to pay! This is a true story. To protect his identity, I am going to call him Mr. X.
The onslaught of Covid-19 has been relentless. Air Travel has taken its mightiest blow ever in the history of post-war Civil Aviation. It created an almost complete lockdown for the Industry in terms of International Travel. The good news is that all of these effects will peak, and eventually when they find the vaccine, disappear. Post Covid-19 challenges will impact Travel Management Companies.
The Airline industry has been one of the worst hit by the Coronavirus pandemic. It will be several years before airlines around the world recover from the damage. The International Air Transport Association (IATA), estimates lost revenue for 2020 will be 314 Billion US dollars. IATA also estimates that 4.5 Million flights will be cancelled by June 30, 2020. Never before has the Industry been hit so badly by a pandemic virus.
Everyone needs Technology today. Whether you are a Travel Management Consultant, employed in the Travel Industry or any other business for that matter, you cannot do without Technology. Most often what you choose to work with is a matter of personal preference and budgets. My advice to those looking for new machines would be to
Every now and then, checked baggage seem to develop a mind of their own to go off on a jaunt. The truant piece of luggage, decides to take a route different from that of its owner. What was destined for Medicine Hat, Alberta could end up in Melbourne, Australia; or in Dublin, Ireland, instead of Dubai in the UAE. A lost checked-in bag can become a painful experience. It is one of those happenings that comes with air travel. There often is no rhyme or reason for the phenomenon. 2017 saw 4.08 Billion Air travellers; 22.7 Million bags were mishandled. Fortunately, 78% of all mishandled bags were only delayed; not lost.
Given the advancement of Information Technology, VAT Recovery automation should have happened in many countries. However, it has not yet happened. Why?
We explore the question in some detail, in this article.
Many people may consider Travel Insurance to be an instrument sold by peddlers of doom. That indeed is a matter of personal opinion. Personally, I think Travel Insurance is a necessary part of every trip. It provides the traveller with a certain amount of comfort, and more – especially when things go wrong.
The Contact Centre for corporate travel is the engine around which the whole business revolves. If you don’t have a smoothly operating Contact Centre, you do not have a product. The Unit can be quite a beast when it comes to Technology. The secret of success in a Contact Centre lies in the manager’s skill and ability to harness the entire offering of the various technologies employed and make them work together, to deliver a best-in-class product.
I thought this time, I’d take a break from Corporate Travel and give an itinerary, instead. Let me take you to my most favourite city in the world: Rome. Where 2700 years of vintage history is blended with the mundane cocktail of everyday life of the 21st Century. Here is the Best of Rome in 6 short days.
Given two weeks, you can hardly do justice to the City; most tourists try to give it four days before they move on. Of course, you will find tons of information on Rome, in every language of the world; but, let me show you the City, my way – Rome in six days.
The Contact Centre is the heart of the Corporate Travel service to clients. It is the engine; everything else will revolve around it. Without it, there can be no service. Where then, would be the ideal location for your all-important Corporate Travel Contact Centre? Many a diehard traditionalist would tell you that it should be located where the head office is. In other words, the Managing Director or CEO, would like it where he is located. Such a notion, I presume, would come from a desire to show off one’s empire to every visitor. Some others would argue for it to be located in their own building, wherever that may be. Their main argument would be that with such an arrangement, they will have no rental costs. My own views on the subject are very different.
