Business travelers welcome again, but limited and only for bigger deals

“The threshold is high”, says Marhijn Visser of VNO NCW MKB Nederland. “We are happy with the arrangement because it facilitates trade and investment.” He cites as an example the sale of a large ship by a shipyard. Due to the limitations, the buyer could not come and see it recently, while you also want to see such a purchase with your own eyes. “You can now.”

Applications can be formally submitted from Monday. So far, about 100 people have indicated they want to make use of the scheme, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirms. In particular from the US, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, India and Russia.

Mixed feelings

The business travel industry is looking at the scheme with mixed feelings. “500 per month is very little”, says Daan Lenderink, director of the Schiphol Travel Group and board member at travel industry association ANVR. “But the exception in itself is nice. It is good to see that the cabinet is trying to limit the economic damage.”

Nevertheless, according to Lenderink, the Dutch business travel market is “completely in its hole”. Turnover has plummeted from April. In August, the turnover of the Schiphol Travel Group was even negative. “We have more refunds than we sold tickets. We don’t even have nothing.”

Longer term uncertain

Whether business travelers, who are so important to business travel agencies and KLM, will again fly as much as before the corona crisis seems highly uncertain. For example, a coalition of sixty large employers with about half a million employees sees flying less as an important item for reducing their CO2 emissions. The ambition is more often by train and more digital meetings. Meeting remotely works well, say that.

“I applaud that,” says Lenderink. “It’s great that everyone is so concerned with the environment”, but he adds that it is more difficult to implement in practice than it seems. “Many already go by train to Paris and Brussels, but if everyone also wants to take the train to London, Milan and Lyon, then that just won’t work.”

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