The Anvil Group has recommended that traveler monitoring and intelligence gathering systems should be in place to enable security and travel managers to be able to constantly review travel safety policies and make effective risk assessments.  The bomb which left 53 people dead and injured over of two hundred and sixty people including at least 11 foreigners, caused severe damage to the building and massive disruption in the surrounding areas.  It also endangered the lives of several high level delegates residing at the hotel.  And among the victims was the Czech Ambassador, Ivo Zdarek.  The entire leadership of Pakistan was due to dine at the hotel on the day of the bombing.  British Airways have cancelled all flights to Pakistan due to security concerns for its passengers and cabin crew staff.  It is expected that other carriers may follow suit.

“The Marriott brand is synonymous with high quality and safety.  It is therefore upsetting that so many lives have been lost.  Events such as these highlight the increasingly dangerous world we now do business in,” says The Anvil Group Director, Matthew Judge.  “In light of the bombing, businesses and government bodies need to identify which employees are affected by the event, whether they were on the ground in Pakistan or due to travel.  With flights to and from Pakistan suspended, businesses will need to identify any travelers that were affected by the bombing and find alternative travel arrangements for employees to get home safely.”

Through using systems such as The Anvil Group’s Employee Travel Monitoring Solution (ETMS) and Travel Risk Intelligence System (TRIS) businesses are able to pin-point and locate employees affected by the events such as the bombings and locate the proximity of employees to events that might have an effect on their health, safety and well being.  

“Any event that causes employee displacement and changes to travel plans has severe repercussions to both the employee and the business.  It is important that Travel Managers and Corporate Security Managers are empowered with the tools that enable them to advise all employees that are affected so that they are able to take adequate measures and precautions to ensure their own safety,” adds Judge.  “It is every business’s responsibility to provide duty of care to each and every employee regardless of where they are in the world.”