Travel Weekly, the most influential B2B travel industry news resource, awarded Global Rescue, the world’s leading provider of medical, security, evacuation and travel risk management services, the 2020 Magellan Award for its COVID-19 Intelligence blog series.

The annual Travel Weekly Magellan Award is the premier award for the travel industry, honoring the best in travel and saluting the outstanding travel professionals behind it all.

“The 2020 Magellan Awards received entries from top travel organizations and professionals worldwide and the quality of the work was outstanding.” said Kara Cleary, manager of Travel Weekly Magellan Awards. “Being selected a Magellan Award Winner is a tremendous achievement and proves you represent a high standard of excellence within the travel industry.”

Pandemic Information and Education

Global Rescue entered its Coronavirus blog series into the category Online Travel Services Marketing Campaign and won for its coverage of the pandemic.

“The pace of the coronavirus outbreak and the need for updates compelled the Global Rescue Intelligence Team to compile and publish a comprehensive daily report and frequent articles for members, the public, business leaders and journalists,” said Kent Webber, former senior intelligence operations officer in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence, United States Pentagon and senior manager of Intelligence Services at Global Rescue.

“Everyone was looking for helpful, educational, straight talk about the pandemic and its impact on the industry and travelers. Global Rescue’s daily reports and blog series were the fastest, most effective, ways to channel our expertise and share the information,” Webber said.

The free report was refreshed every 24 hours with detailed information on worldwide outbreak locations, restrictions, updates, outbreak data, signs and symptoms and advice for travelers. The Coronavirus Update included weekly blog posts.

This was the data global travelers needed while working, vacationing — or trying to get home. Global Rescue member Drew from Oregon tapped into this expertise when he needed to travel from Boston to Seattle in early March.

“I couldn’t get a real answer from local government websites or the news,” he said. “The info I got from Global Rescue was definitely helpful for me to figure out what to do with my travel. I made it home safely.”

In July, Andrew Tilker, an American citizen based full-time in Berlin, Germany, was asked to attend a work meeting near Lyon, France.

“Of course, given the COVID-19 situation, I wanted to get more background information on travel risks before making a final decision,” Tilker said.

He emailed Global Rescue.

“I was surprised at how quickly I got a reply — within the hour. The information I received helped me make a more informed decision regarding whether to take the trip or not,” he said. “I decided to go.”

Read the Winning Blogs

The Coronavirus Intelligence Center and five blog post entries receiving the award were:

Coronavirus Intelligence Center: Global Rescue recognized the importance of the coronavirus outbreak in its early days and alerted members worldwide on Jan. 2. The requests for updates and the pace of the outbreak compelled the Global Rescue Intelligence Team to begin compiling and publishing a comprehensive daily report for members, the public, business leaders and journalists.

As the virus spread to the United States, member alerts turned into a free daily report, called the Coronavirus Intelligence Center. It was made available to the public, and updated every 24 hours, with information which includes outbreak locations, outbreak data, signs and symptoms and medical advice for travelers.

Coronavirus: What Global Rescue Can Do: Travelers had questions, and Global Rescue’s phone was ringing off the hook. This March blog answered the top nine questions from our members. It was posted online and used by the sales team as a resource.

Escape from China: Repatriation during an Epidemic: Travelers and expats found themselves trapped in an escalating series of government directives and medical orders to contain the spread of the virus. But Global Rescue used its logistical know-how, bureaucratic fluency and relentless focus to bring people home. Two coronavirus rescue operations are profiled in this blog.

Mission Brief March 2020: Global Rescue’s operations team is always busy, but the coronavirus sparked increased activity and our members needed medical advice, emergency care, logistics help and security extractions. By February, nearly 500 operations had been completed in more than 90 countries. This blog showed the depth and breadth of the medical, security and advisory services that Global Rescue provided to members.

TotalCare: A Lifeline in the Midst of a Pandemic: As social distancing changed to mandatory quarantines, telehealth became the first line of defense against coronavirus. Global Rescue started offering telehealth services four years ago to travelers who wanted a better option than waiting in an urgent care office or the emergency room. This blog provided information to non-travelers who may be interested in telehealth services during the quarantine.

How to Talk to Your Kids about Coronavirus: Parenting is hard, but unpredictable times can make it even more difficult. Global Rescue’s in-house medical experts offered advice to parents to help kids understand coronavirus, the importance of hygiene and manage anxiety.

For more information about Global Rescue’s travel protection services, visit www.globalrescue.com