Press Release
EA Launches Travel Site NetGlobers
10-Jun-2009
In line with its pioneering spirit, the Europ Assistance Group is now launching NetGlobers, the first global community web portal focused on travel risks at www.netglobers.com
NetGlobers combines content generated by users and “official” information regarding a great many geographical regions around the world.
This innovative website provides concrete and interactive answers to an increasingly important issue, namely, travelers’ perceptions that are often swayed by an overexposure to certain events in the media, or on the contrary, a lack of precise information.
A community portal combining discussion forums, travel reports, and official information, NetGlobers aims to help users prepare for their stays by providing them with an overall view of the risks associated with their chosen destination.
Launched globally in English during an initial phase, NetGlobers will be made available over the coming weeks in French, Italian, Spanish and German. This initiative again illustrates the Europ Assistance Group’s commitment to providing the world’s citizens with the best possible advice on preparing safe travel.
A new source of official information updated daily
Are there any risks of an epidemic in Cambodia at present? In which regions is H1N1 A particularly widespread? Travelers will find complete and precise answers to such questions on NetGlobers, presented in the form of country cards, along with travel advice and a dedicated “medical advice” section.
This information concerning over 193 countries is made available free-of-charge to users by the Europ Assistance Group through its partner Crisis Consulting, a firm specializing in the analysis and management of mobility risks. With its advice designed to be responsive and analytical in real time, NetGlobers provides users with a warning system aimed at relaying important information through daily updates. The warnings are displayed automatically on the site and are integrated into the relevant country cards.
NetGlobers, combining official and community risk resources
NetGlobers allows travelers to consult different points of view, and to select their destination with all the facts to hand, and a global overview of the risks observed.
NetGlobers’ interactive community content is provided by forum discussions, scores given by travelers themselves based on their personal perception of the risks concerning a given destination, and detailed travel reports regarding the health, political and social risks of a country visited. These Travel Reports may include text, video and photos and are an unprecedented way of sharing personal experience alongside the reality of health risks. The Travel Reports created by the NetGlobers community can be exported to NetGlobers’ personal pages.
NetGlobers: responding to the needs associated with more remote travel
Now that far-ranging travel is available at a lower cost, travelers are venturing into increasingly remote regions on a quest for escape and new discoveries in a tourist context.
Given that the number of pandemic risks is increasing by the day, the question of health risk prevention measures has now become a major concern for travelers. Today, 47% of travelers are concerned at the time of their departure about a health problem involving themselves or family members, according to the 2009 Ipsos-Europ Assistance survey of Europeans’ holidays.
Finally, given that travelers are increasingly likely to consult the opinions of others prior to going on vacation; NetGlobers provides a unique service, without relying on the various existing institutional sites, to offer the traveler a new resource to stay safe when away from home.
2nd Chance, an opportunity to win the trip of a lifetime
Following the popularity of the “Best job in the world” contest from Tourism Queensland, for the launch of NetGlobers, the Europ Assistance Group decided to keep the dream alive for the many that missed out, by offering users a 2nd Chance, a web-based campaign aimed at promoting worldwide awareness of NetGlobers.
Entries have been open since May 14, 2009. To enter and win a round-the-world trip, candidates must log onto www.2ndchance.netglobers.com and create interactive Travel Reports including photos, video and text about health risks, which will be posted on NetGlobers. The ten Travel Reports that attract the highest number of votes from the NetGlobers community will be presented to an international panel of judges to select the winning Travel Report. Participants have the chance of winning a one-year, round-the-world trip worth a total of 20,000 Euros, followed by the option of a six-month job placement abroad in the Europ Assistance Group subsidiary of the winner’s choice.
Contact: Jessica Ashley 240-330-1040 or jashley@europassistance-usa.com
