Americans seeking safe trips abroad tap travel-assistance firms
— -- Haunted by the devastation and smell of dead bodies after a massive earthquake in Haiti two years ago, Michelle Bohreer says she won't travel abroad again without first contracting with a travel-assistance company.
Bohreer, a lawyer in Spring Valley, Texas, was unable to leave Haiti after the Jan. 12, 2010, earthquake that threw the country into chaos and killed what governments in the West say was an unspecified tens of thousands of people.
She was robbed heading to the airport during an unsuccessful attempt to get an outbound flight and feared for her survival until a plane chartered by a travel-assistance provider, ASI Group, rescued her three days after the quake.
"I think the company saved my life," says Bohreer, who was on a Rotary Club of Houston mission to build a well to provide clean water for orphans and arrived in Haiti 45 minutes before the earthquake struck.
Faced with a volatile post-9/11 world — including unrest in the Middle East and last year's earthquake, tsunami and nuclear-power plant accident that devastated parts of Japan — a growing number of travelers and companies are contracting travel-assistance firms to ensure safe trips abroad.
The travel-assistance companies also are benefiting. Global travel-assistance firm International SOS says revenue increased 20% during the past two years, and it added staff at regional locations worldwide.
The travel-assistance companies monitor current events and provide around-the clock safety, security and medical advice and information. They also provide assistance in emergency situations and coordinate evacuations.
Besides growing concern about employee safety, corporations are contracting travel-assistance companies to meet insurance obligations and avoid liability lawsuits.
"The incentive for companies to keep their travelers safe and protect themselves from any potential litigation has contributed to more companies developing and communicating safety procedures," says Joseph Bates of the Global Business Travel Association. "Travel managers are looking to create policies and communicate with executives before they hit the road, reminding travelers about easily avoidable mistakes."
Last year, International SOS and its partner, Control Risks, evacuated more people — 3,052 — for security reasons than the U.S. State Department. The two firms evacuated 1,500 people from Libya, 1,250 from Egypt, 149 from Tunisia, 127 from Bahrain and 26 from Japan.
Another travel-assistance company, FrontierMEDEX, which acquired assistance firm ASI Group four years ago, evacuated more than 900 people from Egypt, Libya and Tunisia, according to FrontierMEDEX Vice President Kieran Battles.
"That number doesn't sound like a high figure, because our approach is preventative," Battles says. "Our pro-active intelligence enables us to get people out before they have to evacuate, reducing risk and cost."
The State Department says it assisted more than 2,800 people who evacuated foreign countries last year and 16,700 in 2010. The State Department, which charges for its evacuations, says it charters transportation when commercial transportation isn't available but "encourages people to prepare their own plans to depart unstable or dangerous situations."
The department charges evacuees by air what an airline would charge for a full coach fare.
Popular Reads
ABC News Live