AUG-30-1999 12:56 Business Wire 2127529698 Business Editors ( BW) (FL-ABRAMS-CONSULTING) Many U.S. Corporations May Be Unprepared to Manage Overseas Traveler Emergencies, Creating Serious Liability & Personnel Management Issues. TAMPA, Fla. - (BUSINESS WIRE)-Sept. 7, 19999-As international business travel proliferates, more than one-third of U.S. corporations may be unprepared to manage company traveler emergencies, according to a survey conducted by Abrams Travel Data Services on behalf of Leslie Saunders Insurance & Marketing International (LSIMI). Overseas traveler emergencies, which include medical crises, lost property or documents, and crime incidents, are more common than might be expected.			PRESS RELEASE
28% of survey respondents experienced at least one-to-ten emergencies during the past year. However, 37% of surveyed companies have no formal program in place for managing these critical situations.
"With many traveler emergencies representing life threatening medical or safety situations, the personnel management and liability issues facing corporations can be extremely serious," says Leslie Saunders, President of LSIMI, a Tampa, Fl-based company specializing in travel insurance, employee benefits, and marketing to women.
The survey results also point out another challenge for companies: 46% of surveyed corporations have no specific program in place for female travelers. "The need for information and special procedures for women travelers becomes even more important during overseas travel," says Saunders, who has specialized in safety issues relating to women travelers for several years.
Still another issue is employee travelers facing emergency situations during personal vacations. "It's obvious from the survey data that even for companies that have traveler emergency programs, most of these companies have no coverage for dependents or for leisure travel," Saunders says.
Abrams Travel Data Services (ATD) is a Long Beach, CA-based research firm specializing in analytical market data on the auto rental, travel service, and fleet industries. ATD interviewed 100 corporate travel managers to determine their policies and practices in this area. ATD is a unit of Abrams Consulting Group, Inc., the leading specialized consultancy serving the auto rental and allied travel industries worldwide since 1982.
LSIMI has developed a traveler emergency product that can be accessed through the Internet. This unique service allows corporations and individual travelers to access the information they need easily and quickly, and provides an all-important sense of security where it is most needed, Saunders says.

Leslie Saunders Insurance www.lesliesaunders.com

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