Association Calls for Travel Industry Working Group
Caleb Tiller, 703-684-0836 Ext. 138
Courtney Leigh Beisel, 703-684-0836 Ext. 133
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| President Bush speaking yesterday at NIH in Bethesda, MD. For hi-res image, click here. |
Alexandria, VA (November 2, 2005) -- The National Business Travel Association (NBTA) was honored with an invitation to attend yesterday’s speech at the National Institutes of Health by the President of the United States, during which President Bush outlined his plan to address the threat of a pandemic flu. NBTA was in attendance as the representative of the corporate travel industry.
Following the delivery of the President's remarks, NBTA reached out to the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Michael Leavitt; Secretary of Homeland Security, Michael Chertoff; and Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, recommending the development of a working group to involve the travel industry in the national preparation for a possible avian flu outbreak.
"In his remarks, President Bush accurately noted the importance of private sector involvement in preparing for and responding to a pandemic flu," said NBTA President and CEO, Suzanne Fletcher. "Because international travelers are an integral part of any plan to minimize the impact of an avian flu outbreak, NBTA proposes a working group of travel companies and industry organizations that would work with the administration to educate travelers on the threat, disseminate information throughout the travel industry and help companies develop contingency plans for their international travelers and operations."
Fletcher continued, "If the current avian flu threat develops into a pandemic, international travelers will be both most at risk and most likely to spread the flu. The working group NBTA proposes would help minimize the worldwide threat by informing and engaging those who would be on the front lines of an influenza pandemic -- international travelers, travel service providers and the companies that send business travelers to all the nations of the world."
She added, "President Bush remarked on the negative impact of SARS on the economy of Asia and on the travel industry, saying that a pandemic flu would be much worse. A travel industry working group on pandemic flu would engage the administration and the travel industry in an effort to minimize the negative financial impact of an outbreak, which would in turn help protect the financial interests of the nation."
For the full text of NBTA's letter to Secretaries Chertoff, Leavitt and Rice, click here.
For the full text of the President's speech, see http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/11/20051101-1.html.
For detailed information on the President's plan to address the pandemic flu threat, see www.pandemicflu.gov.
For a seminar on avian flu and answers to frequently asked questions on the disease, visit www.nbta.org/Education/ (NBTA Members only). Members of the media who would like to access these NBTA resources can contact Caleb Tiller at 703-684-0836 ext. 138.
The National Business Travel Association is the source for critical information on the business travel industry. For more than 35 years, NBTA has dedicated itself to the professional development of its members through advocacy, education and training, and networking opportunities. NBTA represents over 2,500 corporate and government travel managers and travel service providers, who collectively manage and direct more than $170 billion of expenditures within the business travel industry. For more on NBTA, visit www.nbta.org.
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