Risks linked to corporate travel on the rise

[LOS ANGELES] Boom times are back in corporate travel, but so, too, is the anxiety.

For corporate travel managers gathering here at the annual convention of the Global Business Travel Association, two topics were high on the agenda: the surge in international business travel and the complex safety and security issues that arise as companies send more employees to diverse locations around the world.

This year's convention, which has drawn about 6,700 travel managers, suppliers and others in the industry, falls during a tumultuous time for corporate travel. The trade group said that spending on business travel would rise about 7 per cent this year, to roughly US$1.18 trillion - US$292.3 billion of that in the United States, up 3 per cent.