Suzanne Neufang, CEO, Global Business Travel Association
If you’re one
of the many in the business travel industry pinning their hopes on 2023 as the year
we truly get back to “normal” since the pandemic, you’re
not alone. By far, the industry expects more recovery and growth for 2023
compared to 2022, according to a GBTA survey. Over three-fourths of travel
managers expect the number of business trips taken by employees will be higher,
and 85 percent of travel suppliers expect their corporate client bookings will
be higher this year. Over 65 percent of travel managers are optimistic
that their company will conduct more travel for internal team meetings, client
engagements, sales meetings and conferences.
Business travelers are
coming back too—but it’s not as simple as picking
up where we left off in 2019. As an industry, it’s time
for us to rethink the business traveler experience. Business travelers want
more from their travel experiences, including highly personalized, flexible
trips that offer them choice and control. The result will be happier, satisfied
and more loyal and engaged employees—which is good for companies, clients and
business in the long term.
Here
are four aspects of the evolving business
traveler experience and what our industry should be thinking about in the year
ahead.
The Business Traveler Untethered
The pandemic made way for the rise of the
work-from-anywhere model. Business travelers no longer tethered to a physical
office have shown they can be productive from anywhere. They now want more
flexibility in how, when, and where they travel and that has given rise to new
business traveler desires.
One of the most
prominent is the desire for blended travel. In a GBTA survey, 82 percent of
business travelers said they are now as much or more likely to combine their
business trips with a vacation. Two in five travel managers (41 percent) have
seen an increase in employees asking for blended travel.
As the definition of leisure and business travel continues to
blur, travel suppliers should be adapting their mindset and models to serve this
new hybrid traveler who may be as interested in high-speed Wi-Fi and workspace
as they are with spa amenities and area attractions. Travel managers should ensure
that their travel policy spells out the company’s guidelines for blended travel
so both employer and employee clearly understand and agree on expectations and
guidelines.
Go Green or Go Less Often: The Rise of
the Eco-Conscious Business Traveler
Many business travelers are more
conscious of their environmental impact and want to reduce their carbon
footprint. In GBTA’s sustainability report, regardless of region, travel buyer
and supplier respondents say better protecting the planet is a priority: Asia
Pacific (99 percent), Europe (97 percent), Latin America (91 percent), North
America (84 percent).
Business travelers want to travel more intentionally,
with multi-purpose trips gaining traction. The one-night business trip has been
replaced by the multi-day business trip where several objectives can be
achieved, all with one flight or train journey.
Travel suppliers must continue to step up
to meet the increased demand for eco-friendly hotels, greener transportation choices,
and sustainable travel practices. Travel managers must ensure that business
travelers have the information and ability to book “green” travel options, such
as multi-modal travel, green certified meeting spaces and low-emissions
vehicles.
Empowering business travelers is key to a
more sustainable travel program, but it’s also
imperative for the future of our industry, people and planet.
Let Me Be Me: It’s
Time Travel Policies Got Personal
No two business
travelers are the same—that’s why our industry
should look for ways to bring more flexibility and personalization to the business
traveler experience.
One important focus is making business travel more accessible.
In a survey from GBTA and Deem, only 32 percent of travel managers say their
company has clearly defined processes or resources for accessible travel. Half
of travel managers (50 percent) say their company does not have clearly defined
processes.
Adopting a dynamic
travel policy can also deliver a more customized experience. Offering up
various available options at the time of booking empowers a business traveler
to make their own choices while staying compliant with company policies and
travel budgets.
Companies
can also offer perks to increase employee satisfaction.
In a GBTA survey, business travelers most commonly chose as desired perks the freedom
to book their favorite travel suppliers (46 percent) and being allowed to stay
an additional night after a work meeting (43 percent). Other perks cited
include additional time off for frequent travel and having special travel
policies for road warriors.
Technology: Traveler Experience Maker or Breaker?
Technology has always been critical to the
business traveler experience. But gaps still remain – in a GBTA poll, 38
percent of business travelers said that they are the least satisfied with their
company’s travel technology.
Corporate travel tech done right can create the efficient, convenient, touchless, and
customized experience desired by business travelers, who increasingly expect corporate travel tech to
mirror their consumer tech. Technology
should also be able to accommodate a traveler’s priorities, such as offering
accessibility-enabled options or sustainable choices such multimodal or lower
emissions air travel. And with any technology, ensuring digital trust in areas
like data ethics, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence safety will also be
paramount.
If
technology doesn’t keep pace with their expectations, business travelers will
“take the wheel” to create the trip experience they want to the degree they are
able—at the risk of impacts to cost, supplier agreements, policy compliance,
and duty of care.