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Widespread optimism for business travel in 2025

Put away your New Year horoscopes and crystal balls as the proof is in the pudding, with 67% of business travel professionals indicating they are optimistic about the business travel industry outlook for 2025 according to the Global Business Travel Association’s (GBTA’s) November 2024 Business Travel Industry Outlook Poll.

To better understand what key travel trends and sentiments are driving this outlook, we dive into some of the key findings from the poll’s 895 global business travel professionals.

So, what is behind such optimism?

After some turbulent years, the stars have aligned with a renewed positive outlook based on a collective group of significant developments. GBTA survey respondents were asked what factors they perceive are supporting the business travel sector, with the number one reason being easing travel costs and corporate travel budgets keeping pace.

What will travel budgets be spent on?

Looking at the travel budget for 2025, many companies are planning to split their spend very similarly to that of GBTA’s January 2024 travel poll with revenue-generating activities like sales and account management meetings taking the biggest slice of the pie at 28%.

Economic concerns are not a concern for business travel

It seems nothing is going to get in the way of business growth goals and the need to connect with people face-to-face, with 55% of travel buyers unlikely to limit business travel despite economic concerns. In fact, 52% of travel buyers are expecting higher travel spending in 2025 than in 2024. Further, across all regions (North America, Latin America, Asia-Pacific and Europe) at least 50% or more are expecting their budgets to be higher; complementing the increased travel outlook.

In-person meetings are on the rise, and it is the comeback we love to see

There is just something so wholesome and productive about in-person meetings that we all know can’t be achieved over email, phone or virtual tools in the same manner. In-person is where relationships are built, deals are done and opportunities arise. Travel buyers have noticed an increased preference for in-person meetings over the last year with GBTA reporting that 45% of travel buyers see employees wanting to travel more for business and 59% are witnessing a lot more employees attending meetings and conferences in person.

Multi-purpose trips are gaining traction for the second year running

53% of travel buyers indicated they have seen a lot more multi-purpose trips over the past year, with only 4% indicating they are seeing less. Business travellers are flying to one location to conduct business whether that might be to meet a client or attend an internal meeting, and then either take a train or a flight to another city to conduct further business, allowing travellers to maximise their productivity and achieve their work goals in one trip.

Direct flights continue to rise in popularity

Compared to 2024, 36% of travel buyers are seeing more employees taking direct flights as opposed to only 11% seeing more taking connecting services.  The drivers? Airline capacity growth, the increased number of flights and routes available, and the willingness of companies to pay extra for direct services to reduce their carbon emissions are all reasons reported by GBTA.

Blended trips are not going away with bleisure travel continuing to grow

Bleisure travel is not a new concept, but its popularity increased during and after the global pandemic driven by the rise of remote work and the blending of professional and personal lives. The flexibility afforded by remote work models allows individuals to explore new destinations while maintaining their work commitments. Travellers increasingly look to extend business trips with leisure activities, carving out time for sightseeing or relaxation either before or after work commitments. This trend also encompasses individuals choosing to bring family or friends along or working remotely while on vacation, allowing them to maximise their experiences while saving their paid time off. 46% of travel buyers indicated employees are taking more blended trips today than they did a year ago. Bleisure is growing in all regions, led by North America and Latin America with over 50% saying they are witnessing employees extending work trips for leisure, closely followed by 44% in Asia Pacific and 37% in Europe.

Business travel outlook

If there was any doubt whether business travel was back in full swing, the results from the GBTA Business Travel Outlook Poll have put that notion to bed. With rising optimism across the business travel sector, the year ahead looks promising as employees express a strong desire to hit the road and meet face-to-face to drive business success. Companies are recognising the critical role travel plays in building relationships, closing deals and fostering collaboration. As companies adapt to evolving travel trends, they’re prioritising strategic investments like technology and digitalisation in travel programmes to support a productive and dynamic workforce on the move.

*Data and insights published are based on the GBTA Business Travel Industry Outlook Poll findings – November 2024.

 

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