Business travelers across the UK were faced with another challenge a couple of weeks ago as the UK government announced that air passenger duty will rise for the second time in as many years. But this is no small rise; the minimum increase will be nine percent, whilst some long-haul destinations will see a 55 percent increase in the levy. What has been a challenging couple of years for business travelers in the UK appears to facing a new hurdle. But what can be done to cope with the new charges?

In light of the recent European travel alert issued by the U.S. government, we have created a two-part series on what you should know and tips for traveling internationally.

International business travel is on the upswing as corporations look to global markets for growth. With that increase also comes a heightened concern for travelers, not only as they navigate unfamiliar cities and cultures abroad—but also as civil unrest, terror threats and extreme environmental conditions touch nearly every major and emerging business market.

Staying compliant with new and wide-sweeping regulations is rarely an easy task, particularly for companies in the pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturing fields facing the soon-to-be-implemented Physician Payment Sunshine Act (part of the new healthcare reform bill). As part of the new legislation, these companies will need to start tracking all of their gifts, payments and other interactions with doctors and hospitals in minute detail, or else pay fines ranging up to $100,000 in some cases.

Do you know which U.S. cities charge the most and least travel taxes? We do.

As a business traveler, have you ever wondered which cities are charging visitors the most in discriminatory fees levied on top of local sales taxes? While these additional taxes and fees are almost everywhere, it is important to note that they can vary widely from city to city and region to region. In some cases, these fees can increase a visitor’s total tax burden by up to 144 percent.

To help companies wade through and compare these complex and multilayered taxes, Concur has partnered with the NBTA Foundation (the education and research arm of the National Business Travel Association) to release the third annual in-depth study of destination travel taxes. Researching and consolidating various tax rates and fees applied to hotel rooms, rental cars and meals from the top 50 U.S. destinations, this latest report breaks down what travelers are actually paying for similar services when they come to town.

Last week UK airport operator BAA announced that passenger numbers flying from its airports in August 2010 were down compared to the same time last year, with the exception of Heathrow. The capital’s biggest airport reported its busiest ever August on record, with 6.5 million people walking through the airport doors in August, a 2.5 percent increase from July. BAA commented that the surge in passengers through the airport was largely due to its greater exposure to the business travel sector.

It’s encouraging to see that after months of businesses tightening the purse strings and cutting back on business travel, organisations are beginning to get their employees back on the road. For many businesses, a certain amount of business travel is an essential part of their income and growth pipeline; however, it also brings about an increase in expense claims.

Managing employee T&E spend has received a huge amount of coverage across the media since the MPs expenses scandal. On a positive note, the enhanced media buzz around the topic has helped to emphasise how important it is, in times of economic uncertainty, for businesses to ensure they are doing their very best to keep a handle on expenses. In October 2008, the BBC decided to ban champagne from employee expense submissions. An article published in the Guardian this week, highlights how the BBC has made dramatic costs savings since this change in expense policy. According to the article, the BBC drinks bill fell from £107,511 in 2008 to £55,984 in 2009 – close to a 50 percent fall.

The BBC example shows how one simple change can have a significant impact on the overall expense budget of an organisation. During the recession we have seen a number of cuts made with fewer business class flights and less expensive restaurant bills, but businesses need to evaluate all areas where cost savings can be made. Enforcing a policy, such as mandatory use of public transport rather than a taxi for journeys fewer than five miles, could mean drastic cost savings for SMEs and large enterprises alike.

Earlier this year, the value added tax (VAT) returned to its normal level of 17.5 percent, following its decrease to 15 percent. I previously discussed how extremely important it was for businesses to ensure that they were recovering every penny that was owed to them. Unfortunately, businesses are yet again faced with the same set of circumstances. Chancellor George Osborne announced a couple weeks ago in his emergency budget that VAT is set to increase to 20 percent on 4 January 2011.

With this increase, consumers throughout the UK will have to pay more for their everyday goods. To make matters even worse; businesses are likely to see a significant increase in their expense and travel costs. The undesirable increase of 2.5 percent will make a considerable difference to travel costs for companies. However, there is no need to panic because Concur is ready to help its clients meet the altering economic demands.

As I’m sure you’ve probably heard, this morning at Apple’s WWDC event in San Jose, CA, the iPhone 4 was officially unveiled. Understandably, there has been quite a bit of buzz around the latest version of the device and for good reason. In April alone, Apple sold some 7 million iPhone devices and market analysts expect the company to sell 36 million globally in 2010. In fact, if you don’t have one, Wal-Mart recently announced it will sell the 3GS version for just $97.

While the iPhone continues to set a blistering pace for both sales and application development, it’s not alone as there are multiple devices battling to capture both the consumer and enterprise market. In fact, according to research firm Gartner and mobile advertising firm AdMob, worldwide mobile phone sales grew 17 percent in the first quarter of this year. Between Nokia, Samsung, LG and RIM, makers of BlackBerry, these four companies combined to sell a staggering 212.7 million in the first quarter.

One of the hottest topics in corporate travel right now is undoubtedly airline ancillary fees. This topic is creating quite a stir and Concur’s doing something about it.

According to a forecast issued by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the airline industry will take in $58 billion in ancillary fees in 2010. Those fees may include—but are not limited to—the charges for airport club access, checked baggage, seat assignments, extra leg room, on-board meals, entertainment and Internet access; even blankets and pillows that airlines have unbundled from their ticket prices in an effort to find new sources of revenue for an ailing air travel industry. The effort is working: airlines in the U.S. are set to earn $4 billion in baggage fees alone in 2010.

While travelers are forced to purchase these basic flight needs for an additional fee, there’s no consistency in the way in which these fees are documented. Organizations are left in the dark about what these fees represent; only learning during the expense reporting process that an extra charge was made, outside of the airline ticket. With the increase in ancillary fees, how do organizations know what each fee represents and if the charge is within corporate policy? Let alone, how does a travel manager budget and report on these fees?