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105 Critical Business Travel Statistics: 2024 Spending & Concerns Analysis

Technology may have opened up new ways for individuals to connect, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic where face-to-face communication can become a health risk. This is why business travel remains important for modern companies. If you want to make the most out of your corporate trips, being knowledgeable about the ins and outs of the industry is important. This is where checking business travel statistics becomes necessary.

In this article, we will be discussing everything from the market size of the business travel industry to the use of budgeting software for corporate travel. Furthermore, we have provided some data on emerging business travel technologies. This way, it would be easier to understand how to manage your company trips better as well as prepare yourself for the shifting demands of the industry. 

Business Travel Statistics Table of Contents

• General Business Travel Statistics
• Business Travel Spending Statistics
• Statistics on Business Travel Benefits
• Business Travel Experience Statistics
• Bleisure Statistics
• Statistics on the Modern Business Traveler
• Business Travel Policy Statistics
• Statistics on Business Travel Concerns
• Business Travel Tech Usage Statistics
• Impact of COVID-19 on Business Travel

1. General Business Travel Statistics

Corporate trips may have become more and more prevalent over the years, thanks to the increasingly globalized business landscape. So much so that millions of business travel initiatives are launched each year. However, with the current pandemic, business travel has come to a halt and it is not expected to recover until 2027.

• There are 445 million business trips every year. (Certify, n. d.)
• Business travelers make up 12% of an airline’s passengers, but they represent 75% of the profit. (Investopedia, 2020)
• The global market for business travel is projected to decline by 4.5% in 2021. (ReportLinker, 2020)
• It won’t be until 2027 that the global market for business travel is expected to recover, at which point it is expected to reach US$829.5 billion. (ReportLinker, 2020)
• The global market for business travel is expected to post a CAGR of 3% from 2020 to 2027. (ReportLinker, 2020)

Breakdown of Corporate Travel Across the Globe

Companies across the globe understand how important it is to invest in corporate travel. With companies spending an average of $799 per person per day, the business travel market has surely enjoyed the growth in revenue in the past years. Unfortunately, however, when the pandemic hit, many countries experienced huge losses in business travel spending.

• China lost $404 billion in business travel spend losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the biggest amount among member countries of the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA). (GBTA, 2020)
• The second most affected region was Europe, which amassed $190.5 billion in business travel spend losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The third most affected region was Asia-Pacific, excluding China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, with losses amounting to $120.2 billion. (GBTA, 2020)
• The most expensive business travel location in Asia is Hong Kong, with an average cost of $515 per day. (ECA International, 2019)

Business Trips in the US

American companies are one of the top spenders when it comes to business travel. Simply put, many US companies spend to send their employees on domestic and international trips for business purposes. However, much like the rest of the globe, they are also expected to decrease the number of international business trips in the coming years.

• In a survey, 45% of respondents said that their company canceled most international business trips to the U.S. as a result of the pandemic. (GBTA Coronavirus Poll/Statista, 2020)
• U.S. airlines reported a 90% reduction in business travel in Q2 2020. (Spendesk, 2019)
• The reduction in travel spending resulted in a loss of $162 billion for the U.S. economy in 2020. (U.S. Travel Association, 2020)

2. Business Travel Spending Statistics

It’s no secret that corporate travel is expensive. As you’ll see in the data below, companies spend millions of dollars per year on sending their employees on business trips. To ensure steady business travel funding, you should plan and create a budget for it ahead of time, taking into consideration not only accommodation and airfare but also looking into vaccination expenses for employees. This way, they may avoid the risk of contracting coronavirus while they’re traveling. Moreover, you should keep all travel costs in check. For this, you might find that using tools for budgeting can be useful for your company.

• Global business travel decreased by more than half in 2020 to $694 billion. (PhocusWire, 2021)
• Corporate travel spending is expected to lose $820 billion as a result of the pandemic. (CNBC, 2020)
• As of September 2020, China’s number of domestic passengers reached Corporate travel spending 98% of 2019 levels. (Skift, 2020)
• The average daily cost of business travel in the US is $325 per day. (Small Biz Genius, 2021)
• Businesses spend roughly $1,425 for every employee they send on a business trip. (Fyle, 2020)
• Companies spend $111.7 billion on business travel every year. This is an average of $1,286 per work trip. (Travel Pulse, 2020)
• Businesses spend $31.6 billion on international travel. This is an average of $2,600 per person. (Certify)
• The average business travel budget consists of money for lodging (34%), airfare (27%), meals (20%), and car rentals (19%). (Travel Pulse, 2020)

Air Travel Expenditures

If your company is affiliated with businesses located halfway across the globe or on the other side of the country, then spending on air travel is inevitable. So, you should prepare a good chunk of your budget for airfares, especially considering flight tickets and miscellaneous spending at airports are increasingly expensive. You might also want to time your booking so you can get tickets at lower rates.

• The average domestic airfare in the US is $392. (Business Insider, 2019)
• The average cost of coach airfare for international flights is $1216. (Certify)
• Domestic flights in the U.S. are 41% lower on average because of the COVID-19 pandemic. (CNBC, 2020)
• Booking flights 169 to 319 days in advance allows you to fly at the time you prefer and get the seats that you want. (CheapAir, 2018)
• The prime booking window is 21 to 121 days in advance of your preferred flight. The fares are the lowest during this time. (CheapAir, 2018)
• The most costly airports based on lunch, taxi, executive lounge, and parking expenses are London Stansted (£608.29), Amsterdam (£567.35), and London Gatwick (£520.53). (FairFX Blog, 2018)
• The airports that give business travelers the most value for their money based on lunch, taxi, executive lounge, and parking expenses are Barcelona (£236.36), Belfast International (£228.28), and Beijing (£170,03). (FairFX Blog, 2018)
• 70% of corporate travelers said that their most important consideration in booking airline tickets after COVID-19 is flexibility in cancellation and changing ticket conditions. This is followed by special measures to ensure onboard hygiene (63%), availability of direct flights (61%), and sanitation levels of aircraft between flights. (Skift Research & McKinsey, 2020)

Road Transportation Costs

More often than not, business travelers still need to go from one place to another upon reaching their destinations. So, it makes sense for them to spend on road transportation. For domestic trips just outside of the city, this might involve gas money for their personal vehicles. In case they have to go farther away, they will need to allocate a budget for car rental. There might also be those who opt to use ride-sharing applications during the trip, although this may not be as popular an option amid the pandemic.

• Three-fourths of business trips are less than 250 miles from the point of their departure. (U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics, 2017)
• Personal cars are often utilized for 81% of business trips. (U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics, 2017)
• New demand for road trip travel has led car rental rates in the U.S. to decrease by approximately 15% in 2020. (CheapCarRental, 2020)
• 65% of users stopped using ridesharing services in the U.S. due to the COVID-19 outbreak. (Statista, 2020)

Accommodation and Other Expenses

Business travelers require accommodations that are affordable, secure, and trustworthy. What’s more, staying at a place where they have access to conveniences such as workstations and free WiFi can ensure their productivity while on the go. Plus, with the current pandemic, it is also important to consider what hygiene protocols your intended accommodation implements to ensure the safety of your employees. This is why many companies are willing to spend more on hotel rooms and Airbnb accommodations.

• 40% of hotel guests are business travelers. (American Hotel & Lodging Corporation, 2015)
• In 2020, the average hotel room price dropped significantly by 32% to $186 per night compared to $274 per night in 2019. (NerdWallet, 2020)
• Tech companies prefer Airbnb accommodations. In fact, their bookings have doubled from 2017 to 2018. (TravelPerk)
• In 2018, more than 700,000 businesses utilized Airbnb for Work for their corporate trips. (PhocusWire, 2018)
• For the fiscal year 2020, the IRS has set the per-diem business travel rates for meals and incidental expenses at $71. (Maxwell, Locke & Ritter, 2020)
• When it comes to accommodations, business travelers pay attention to quality (44%), trustworthiness (38%), convenience (40%), quietness (30%), affordability (28%), and coziness (28%). (CWT Research, 2019)

How do businesses spend on travel?

A breakdown of the average corporate trip budget.

Car rentals

Source: Travel Pulse

Top Budgeting Software

• Freshbooks. This budgeting and accounting software is popular among businesses of all sizes. Learn more about its features like expense tracking, automatic vendor profile creation, sales tax, project overviews, and many more here in our Freshbooks review .
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• Xero. This is a popular accounting app designed for freelancers and small businesses. See how its easy-to-use interface is packed with comprehensive and robust features here in our Xero review .
• FreeAgent. This powerful online budgeting and accounting tool sports tax management, invoice management, expense management, and payment gateway integrations. See why freelancers and small businesses love this platform here in our FreeAgent review .

3. Statistics on Business Travel Benefits

Many companies may think that business travel is passé or that it is a waste of money. However, statistics show that this is most certainly not the case. Corporate trips actually allow businesses to foster stronger and more close-knit relationships with potential clients and partners. Thus, they yield a good ROI for their business travel initiatives and even grow their company at a faster pace. In addition, even amid a pandemic, many professionals cite business travel as a job perk.

• 90.6% of corporate travel managers believe that business travel is crucial to company growth. (Skift + TripActions Business Travel Survey, 2019)
• On the other hand, 91.3% of business travelers said that business travel is crucial to company growth. (Skift + TripActions Business Travel Survey, 2019)
• Companies get a $2.90 increase in profit and a $9.50 increase in revenue for every dollar spent on corporate travel. (Certify)
• 79% of employees say that business travel experience has an impact on their overall job satisfaction. (Global Business Travel Association, 2017)
• 83% of employees say that business travel is a job perk. (Stratos Jet Charters, Inc., 2020)

4. Business Travel Experience Statistics

Corporate travelers are consumers. So, in a similar light as your typical shopper, they expect personalized experiences when it comes to traveling. In fact, they are more than willing to provide their preferences and personal information if it means travel agencies and airline companies will provide them with better products and services. In addition to these, modern business travelers also don’t mind paying extra out of their pocket for upgrades on accommodations and transportation.

• Nine in 10 corporate travelers will share their travel preferences for a customized experience. (CWT Research, 2019)
• 65% of travelers are willing to provide additional personal information to accelerate processing at the airport. (International Air Transport Association, 2018)
• 22% of frequent travelers want travel companies to remember their personal data. (Accenture, 2017)
• 67% of modern travelers expect brands to help them make good travel decisions based on previous travel information. (Accenture, 2017)
• 55% of business travelers are willing to pay out of their own pocket to get upgrades for accommodations, car rentals, and airline seats. (AeroLatinNews, 2018)

Improving the Experience of Corporate Travelers

Business travel may not be as prevalent now. But this pause makes it the perfect time to ask, how can you improve the overall business travel experience? Now that we know corporate travel anchors on personalization and convenience, it is important to utilize the available technologies to enhance the travel management process.

Moreover, travel managers should actively measure the satisfaction of business travelers to determine any other points for improvement. To do this, you might want to consider utilizing best-in-class business intelligence platforms or top-rated data analytics software .

• Travelers say that their experience can be improved using real-time and accurate travel notifications (55%) and automatic flight rebooking (53%). (International Air Transport Association, 2019)
• A business travel report revealed that 79% of business travel managers say that partnering with travel management companies can lead to more efficient processes and higher savings. (Egencia, 2018)
• 80% of corporate travel managers say that having a system of measurement can benefit corporate travel initiatives. (ACTE, 2018)
• 98% of corporate travel managers say that the most important metrics to measure are traveler satisfaction, policy compliance, and savings and expenditures. These are followed by booking statistics (96%) and traveler engagement (90%). (ACTE, 2018)

Points for Improvement for Airlines, According to Passengers

5. bleisure statistics.

“Work hard, play hard” is the mantra of modern businessmen and corporate employees. So, before 2020, it was not surprising that employees have made it a point to extend their trip for leisure or, at the very least, allocate time for fun activities during a trip. While this may not be a possibility with the ongoing pandemic, it is certainly a trend that companies should anticipate as travel restrictions and quarantine protocols relax. After all, it will allow your company to reinforce work-life balance for employees.

One thing to note about bleisure, however, is that this may also pose problems for companies when it comes to accountability and productivity. After all, administrators don’t know how their business travelers will spend their time during a trip. In case you feel like this might be an issue for you, you can always opt to use time tracking software solutions. Using these, business travelers may log their productive hours even while away from the office.

• Bleisure trips have increased by 20% between 2016 and 2017. (Forbes, 2018)
• Business travelers enjoy exploring new places and cultures (41%) more than meeting with clients and teams (17%). (Medium, 2017)
• 80% of corporate travelers make sure to squeeze in fun activities while on a business trip. (National Car Rental, 2018)
• Almost half of the corporate trips (40%) are extended for leisure. (Expedia Group, 2016)

Employee Expectations on Bleisure

Nowadays, business travelers are not shy about taking some time off while on a trip. After all, they deserve to have a bit of fun after working long hours out of the office. This is why they expect companies to cover bleisure in their travel policies.

• 82% of travelers expect support from their superiors when taking a break on business trips. (National Car Rental, 2018)
• Employees want their companies to consider bleisure for their travel policy. This means including a budget for extracurriculars (74%) and giving them the option to bring a guest on the trip (38%). Moreover, they want to be provided with the flexibility to extend their trips for leisure (34%) and given a budget for exercise and similar lifestyle activities during the trip (24%). (National Car Rental, 2018)
• 37% said that leisure activities should have an equal length as business activities during a corporate trip. (Expedia Group Media Solutions, 2016)

6. Statistics on the Modern Business Traveler

So, who is the modern corporate traveler? Statistics show that these travelers are mostly college-educated males who are older than 45 years old. They go on trips to attend conferences, build business partnerships, develop their careers, and find investors. Moreover, a handful of them spends a good fraction of their year traveling for business purposes.

• Two-thirds of corporate travelers have a bachelor’s degree. Moreover, they have an average household income of $82,000. (PhocusWire, 2017)
• 60% of business travelers are male. Meanwhile, 50% are older than 45 years old. (PhocusWire, 2017)
• Employees go on business trips to attend conferences (62%), to meet with other companies for business planning (56%), for professional development (44%), to meet with coworkers in a different location (40%), and to pitch new products (30%). (Skift, 2016)
• The top 10% of business travelers spend an average of 88 nights away from their homes per year. (Corporate Traveler, 2017)
• 50% of business travelers from Europe go on trips alone. (Fly Aeolus, 2017)

The Millennial Business Traveler

Millennials are poised to comprise the majority of the workforce in the coming years. So, it only makes sense that we tackle how millennial employees view business travel and how they travel for business.

In the statistics we’ve culled, millennials see being sent on corporate trips as a job perk than an inconvenience. So much so that they even create reasons to travel for business. In fact, as of 2016, this generation has become the most active business travelers.

Another thing that sets them apart from previous generations is that while they prioritize cost-efficiency by avoiding expensive hotels and flights, they have a penchant for bleisure. This means they make it a point to balance each trip for both business and leisure.

• 65% of business travelers who are millennials view corporate trips as a status symbol. (Forbes, 2018)
• 56% of millennials create reasons to go on business trips. Moreover, 69% of them want to extend their trip for leisure. (Forbes, 2018)
• Millennials go on 7.4 trips every year. (Skift, 2016)
• Millennial business travelers in the tech industry prioritize cost-efficiency by opting for non-chain hotels. Also, 85% of them booked budget flights instead of choosing business class seats. (TravelPerk)
• 78% of Millennials intentionally make time for leisure on business trips. (Business Wire, 2016)

Why Do Employees Go On Business Trips?

To attend conferences

To meet with other companies for business planning

For professional development

To meet with coworkers in a different location

To pitch new products

Source: Skift

7. Business Travel Policy Statistics

Business travelers represent your company. So, how they travel must be in line with your business values. This is why it is pertinent to have a corporate travel policy.

With this, you can set standards as to where they should stay, which airlines to pick, what car rentals to choose. It also allows you to set rules around what gifts may be purchased during the trip. In addition, travel policies can serve as a guideline for on-site spending.

However, not every company and business traveler realizes the value of a travel policy. So, many opt not to create one.

If you don’t have one, you might want to find a good travel management software to do it. As an alternative, you may also utilize reliable business process management solutions .

• A business travel market report revealed that 40% of businesses still don’t have a travel policy. (Egencia, 2018)
• 60% of corporate travelers say they don’t understand the need for a company travel policy. (TravelPerk, 2019)
• Companies allow more than half of business travelers to book their trips however they prefer. (Egencia, 2018)
• The factors that have a negative impact on business travel are the lack of formal processes and outdated booking systems. (Medium, 2017)

Corporate Travel Management Problems

Of course, simply having a travel policy is not a surefire way to maximize corporate trips. Its positive effect on your business travel processes depends on how you implement it. As you’ll see in the business travel statistics below, companies with travel policies encounter their fair share of problems.

Many of them have travel policies that are not in line with their company culture. Furthermore, not all of them can manage their policies effectively. Lastly, they have many employees who choose not to comply with the policy they have in place.

• 27% of business travelers say that their company’s travel policy is ill-managed. (Medium, 2017)
• 52% of employees say that their company’s travel policy only moderately aligns with their company culture. (Medium, 2017)
• 69% of business travelers comply with corporate travel policies. (Lola.com, 2019)
• Business travelers often book accommodations out-of-policy because they are not close enough to the destination (37%) or because they found a better hotel within their per diem (37%). (Egencia, 2018)

8. Statistics on Business Travel Concerns

While there may be quite a lot of tools that you can use to optimize the business travel experience, the industry still has a long way to go. What’s more, with the pandemic, corporate travelers today are poised to encounter more obstacles and concerns that may impede them from being the most efficient they can be. For example, many of them still need to deal with delayed flights, long waiting times at the airport, as well as the hassle of lengthy security and safety processes.

• The most common issues that business travelers face are flight delays (65.7%), flight cancellations (31.9%), and paying for travel expenses with a personal credit card (30.5%). These were followed by their company’s tool not having the best booking rates (29.3%) and lack of support in resolving issues while traveling (23%). (Skift + TripActions Business Travel Survey, 2020)
• The most tiring aspects of business travel are the waiting time (27%) and having no direct flights (25%). In addition, travelers feel that the ride to and from the airport (22%), early or late departures/arrivals (16%), and the flight itself (10%) are also exhausting. (Fly Aeolous, 2017)
• The longest waiting times for security screening at US Airports in 2019 are Newark Liberty International, NJ (23.1 minutes), George Bush International, TX (19.8 minutes), Miami International, FL (19.6 minutes), and Baltimore-Washington International (18.2 minutes). (Statista, 2019)

Source: Statista

9. Business Travel Tech Usage Statistics

Corporate travelers are a tech-savvy bunch. They rely heavily on the internet and their smartphones to manage their trips. Moreover, they have quite a knack for learning new technology. As a result, they have high expectations for their companies, travel agencies, airline companies, and similar firms when it comes to innovation.

For example, they want to have access to all-in-one applications that will help them consolidate and accelerate the travel planning process. In addition, they are looking forward to having voice-activated assistants for travel queries. As you’ll see below, these are only a few of the many things that they are expecting from the industry.

• 51% of passengers around the world used a smartphone or other device to check in online. (IATA, 2019)
• 27% of global passengers use an airline app to make last-minute purchases such as an additional bag, upgrade, or lounge access. (IATA, 2019)
• The majority of modern travelers (57%) want to have a single application to manage their planning and booking needs. (Booking.com, 2018)
• 57% of travelers want to have a mobile app that will let them track their luggage in real-time. (Booking.com, 2018)
• 31% of travelers say they like the idea of using voice-activated assistants for their travel queries. (Booking.com, 2018)

FinTech Options for Business Travel

Traveling involves quite a lot of expenditures. Therefore, corporate travelers make a large number of transactions that need to be accounted for after each trip. However, manually tracking spending during a trip can be tedious and prone to errors.

As a result, many travelers are now relying on financial technology, such as expense management software and cashless transactions. These allow them to record their expenditures as they go and make sure that they remain within budget. With these, it is easier for companies to maximize their travel budget down to the last penny.

• It takes an average of 40 hours per month for business travelers to reconcile their expenses and payment data. (Egencia, 2018)
• 66.5% of companies use an online expense reporting platform with a mobile solution. (Business Travel News, 2020)
• In light of the pandemic, 55.7% of corporate travel managers say that contactless payments have become a higher priority for their travel program. (Business Travel News, 2020)
• 51% of corporate travelers believe that all business trip payments will be made via mobile devices in a few years. (Business Travel News Europe, 2017)

The Decline of Ride-Hailing Apps

Ride-sharing apps are undoubtedly cheaper and more convenient alternatives than car rental and chauffeur services. However, with the current pandemic, it seems less and less business travelers are willing to leverage them due to the risk of contracting the virus.

• Ride-hailing companies make up 70.5% of all ground transportation receipts for business trips. (USA Today, 2018)
• Usage of ride-sharing apps like Uber and Lyft dropped between 70% to 80% due to travel reductions brought about by the pandemic. (Forbes, 2020)
• 39% of U.S. consumers who previously used ride-sharing plan to lessen their use of these services. (CarGurus, 2020)
• However, the total number of ride-sharing services are expected to reach 71.3 million users in 2021. (eMarketer, 2020)

Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality Tech

Business travelers, while often trained to deal with unforeseen circumstances, want to come prepared. That is to say; they like visualizing how their travel plans are going to pan out well before the actual trip. To do this, they must familiarize themselves with their destination.

This is where augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) comes in. These technologies will allow them to get the lay of the land. So, it is easier to map out their itineraries and manage expectations for the trip. For more information about this tech, be sure to check out our list of VR statistics for 2019 .

• Business travel data reveals that 1 in 5 travelers want to use AR so that it is easy to check out their destination before a trip. (Booking.com, 2018)
• 81% of business travelers expect hotels to use virtual, reception-free check-in processes in the future. Meanwhile, 79% predict that using VR tech for accommodations will become the norm in the next 10 years. (Business Travel News Europe, 2017)

Artificial Intelligence

In a similar vein as practically every other industry, business travel is also being reshaped by artificial intelligence (AI). Many travel companies, managers, and corporate travelers rely on this tech to make their trips much more efficient. As you’ll see below, they find this very useful when it comes to monitoring employees as well as finding travel suggestions for planning.

• The majority of corporate travel managers (82%) say that the use of AI for business travel is “very useful” or somewhat useful.” (Skift, 2018)
• 55% of business travelers say they will allow employers to use GPS tracking to monitor their location during out-of-town trips. (Travelport, 2018)
• 41% expect travel brands to use AI to provide them with significant travel suggestions. (Booking.com, 2018)

If you are looking for emerging trends in AI usage, we also have this list of AI statistics that you might find handy.

10. Impact of COVID-19 on Business Travel

With lockdowns and travel restrictions, COVID-19 has turned the business travel sector upside-down. Even as vaccination programs offer a glimmer of hope that business will resume soon, companies still worry about their liabilities for employees who travel without getting vaccinated.

• At the outset of the pandemic, 98% of member countries of the Global Business Travel Association canceled international business tours, while 92% canceled all or most of their business trips. (GlobeNewswire, 2020)
• International business travel experienced a sharp decline of -70% in 2020. (U.S. Travel Association, 2021)
• In a survey, 24% of respondents said that their company is considering returning to domestic travel in one to three months. (Global Business Travel Association, 2020)
• On the other hand, only 6% of respondents said that their company is considering returning to international business travel in one to three months. (Global Business Travel Association, 2020)
• 57% of business travelers are considering taking a trip in the next six months. However, corporate travel and meeting planners are concerned with their liability if employees travel without being vaccinated. (MMGY Global, 2020)
• Only 6% of people miss traveling for business, compared to 48% who miss travel to spend time with loved ones. (Airbnb, 2021)
• Moreover, as of December 2020, 21% of travel managers report that they are not willing to travel for work. (Global Business Travel Association, 2020)
• When the pandemic is over, 36% of people expect to travel less for work compared to pre-COVID conditions. (Airbnb, 2021)

Source: GBTA 2020

What Do These Business Travel Facts Mean for Your Company?

The pandemic has changed not only the number of flights worldwide but also the entire face of business travel. But with some signs of bouncing back in the years to come, it is hoped that things will soon be better for one of the industries that were deeply hit by the pandemic. Until then, it is important for companies to find ways on how to carry out business travel in these challenging times.

After all, while it may be convenient to connect with people using video conferencing and similar modes of communication, we have to admit that these are not enough. Getting your message across to customers, colleagues, and potential partners is only half the purpose of these business interactions. If you truly want to build rapport, develop trust, and ensure coordination. Undoubtedly, face-to-face meetings are still the way to go. This is why business travel remains a crucial part of many industries.

As you have already read in our article, corporate travel is expensive, and it is getting more so every year. However, when these are planned thoroughly and executed properly, you can open more opportunities for your company. It can even help you attract the best talents for your company.

Just be sure to take the time to understand the needs of your business travelers. This way, you can have a better idea of how you can improve the experience for them and maximize their participation in each trip.

To sum up, we hope that our list of business travel statistics was able to help you get a better idea of the state of the industry as well as where it is headed. With this data, preparing for future business travel efforts should be much simpler.

Key Insights

• Pandemic Impact : Business travel experienced a significant decline due to COVID-19, with global market recovery not expected until 2027.
• Spending Statistics : Corporate travel spending is costly, with companies averaging $1,425 per employee per trip and $111.7 billion annually on business travel.
• Travel Benefits : Business travel is seen as crucial for company growth, with a positive ROI and a significant impact on employee job satisfaction.
• Bleisure Trend : A notable portion of business trips are extended for leisure, with 80% of travelers incorporating fun activities during their trips.
• Traveler Demographics : Modern business travelers are typically well-educated, middle-aged males with higher household incomes, traveling for conferences, business planning, and professional development.
• Travel Concerns : Common issues include flight delays, long waiting times, and managing travel expenses, especially amid pandemic-related travel restrictions.
• Tech Usage : Business travelers rely heavily on technology, preferring mobile apps for planning and booking, and expecting innovations like AI and AR to enhance their travel experiences.
• How has COVID-19 affected business travel? The COVID-19 pandemic drastically reduced business travel, with a 70% decline in international business trips and a significant reduction in domestic travel. The global market is not expected to recover until 2027.
• What is the average cost of a business trip per employee? On average, companies spend $1,425 per employee for each business trip. This includes expenses for lodging, airfare, meals, and car rentals.
• Why is business travel considered important for companies? Business travel is crucial for fostering strong relationships with clients and partners, yielding a positive return on investment, and contributing to company growth. It also impacts employee job satisfaction and is seen as a job perk by many.
• What is the “bleisure” trend in business travel? “Bleisure” refers to combining business and leisure during a trip. Many business travelers extend their trips for leisure activities, with 80% incorporating fun activities and 40% extending trips for leisure purposes.
• Who are the typical modern business travelers? Modern business travelers are generally college-educated males over 45 years old, with an average household income of $82,000. They travel for conferences, business planning, professional development, and to meet with colleagues or pitch new products.
• What are the main concerns of business travelers? The primary concerns include flight delays, long waiting times, flight cancellations, and the hassle of managing travel expenses. The pandemic has added concerns about health and safety during travel.
• How do business travelers use technology? Business travelers heavily rely on technology, using mobile apps for planning and booking, and expecting innovations like AI, AR, and real-time notifications to enhance their travel experience. They also use expense management software for tracking expenditures.
• What impact did the pandemic have on corporate travel spending? The pandemic caused a significant decline in corporate travel spending, with a loss of $820 billion globally. U.S. airlines reported a 90% reduction in business travel in Q2 2020, resulting in a loss of $162 billion for the U.S. economy.
• How do companies manage business travel expenses? Companies often use budgeting and accounting software to manage business travel expenses. This includes tools for tracking lodging, airfare, meals, car rentals, and incidental expenses to ensure cost-efficiency.
• What are the future expectations for business travel? While the industry is expected to recover gradually, business travel will likely be reshaped by new technologies and increased health and safety measures. Companies and travelers will prioritize flexibility, hygiene, and cost-efficiency in their future travel plans.

References:

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A senior FinancesOnline writer on SaaS and B2B topics, James Anthony passion is keeping abreast of the industry’s cutting-edge practices (other than writing personal blog posts on why Firefly needs to be renewed). He has written extensively on these two subjects, being a firm believer in SaaS to PaaS migration and how this inevitable transition would impact economies of scale. With reviews and analyses spanning a breadth of topics from software to learning models, James is one of FinancesOnline’s most creative resources on and off the office.

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40+ business travel statistics for 2024

Whether you're a seasoned business traveler or preparing for your maiden corporate voyage, staying up-to-date with key business travel data is crucial. Making informed decisions based on relevant stats can save you time, money, and the occasional travel-induced headache.

To help you stay informed, we’ve compiled over 40 business travel and tourism statistics for 2024, covering topics such as the average business trip cost and the rise of “bleisure.” Let's dive in and see how these statistics can impact your next business trip.

Statistics on the cost of business travel in 2024

Ever wondered what the price tag on a typical business trip looks like? Curious about what could land your expense report in the red? You're about to get a clear look. We've dug into the numbers to bring you the average costs for business trips, both within the U.S. and beyond its borders.  

(1) Business travelers typically spend $1,018 per trip. [1]

(2) Businesses are paying ~$200 more on average for flights in 2024 compared to 2019. [2]

(3) Accommodation typically accounts for about 34% of total business travel expenses, with the average hotel stay costing $146 per night in the U.S. [3] 

(4) Average global hotel rates are anticipated to rise by 3.6% in 2024 [4] 

(5) Ground transportation, including car rentals and public transit, typically makes up about 8-10% of total business trip expenses. [5]

(6) The cost of car rentals for business travelers in the U.S. remains a significant expense, with cities like Fort Lauderdale charging over $84 per day, making it the most expensive city for car rentals in 2024. [1]

(7) In 2023, more than 20% of a business travel budget was typically allocated towards food expenses. [6]

(8) The cost per attendee per day for meetings and events is predicted to increase by 3%. [4]

Business travel safety stats

As companies globalize and work trickles beyond geographical boundaries, ensuring the safety and security of traveling employees is more important than ever. In this section, we’ll unveil statistics highlighting common safety concerns of global business travelers.

(9) 37% of business travelers have experienced travel-related anxiety about safety and security [7]

(10) 54% of business travelers have experienced delayed or canceled flights in the past year. [7]

(11) 12% of employees said they will now refuse to travel to places they deem unsafe and 11% would refuse a work placement abroad as they feel there are too many risks. [8]

(12) 46% of those who travel for work don’t have a corporate travel safety plan . [9]

(13) 83% of female business travelers have safety concerns, indicating the need for gender-specific guidance and resources in business travel safety training​. [9]

Business travel destinations: facts and figures

Let’s uncover the go-to destinations for business travelers in 2024 and delve into the spending trends associated with them. We've sifted through the data to bring you some eye-opening stats on the top countries for business travel and the biggest financial cities across the globe. 

(14) Only around 7% of all business travel is further than 1,000 miles away from the point of origin. [10]

(15) Some of the most popular international business travel destinations include:

Shanghai, China

Tokyo, Japan

New York, US

Guangzhou, China

Bangkok, Thailand [10]

(16) Amsterdam was the top short-haul destination for European business travelers in 2023, with New York being the number one long-haul city. [11]

(17) New York City was reported as the most expensive city for business travel, with daily costs averaging $799. Geneva was next ($716 per day), followed by Zurich ($661 per day), Washington D.C. ($621 per day), and Paris ($617 per day)​​. [12]

Breaking down the demographics of business travelers

A diverse group of people travel for work, each with unique characteristics and preferences. This section aims to provide a clearer understanding of today's modern business traveler. Let's peel back the curtain and explore the profiles of those who embark on these journeys. 

(18) More than half of all business trips are taken by people aged 30 to 49. [13]

(19) The number of female corporate travelers is growing by the day. In the US, 45% of people traveling for business are women. [14] 

(20) 40% of millennials now travel for work, and many choose jobs specifically because of the opportunity to travel. Most millennials who travel extend their business trips to visit other cities. [13]

(21) Two-thirds of corporate travelers have a bachelor’s degree. [15]

(22) The top 10% of business travelers spend an average of 88 nights away from their homes per year. [15]

(23) 62% of global business travelers feel they’ve lacked equal business travel opportunities compared to colleagues- often due to age, accent, or gender. [1]

Statistics on business travel sustainability

In the wake of rising environmental awareness, the business travel sector is tuning into sustainability. Companies are curbing air travel, while travelers are becoming more mindful of their carbon footprints. Here’s a glimpse of statistics unveiling how eco-friendliness is reshaping business travel.

(24) One-day business trips have dropped significantly, from 14.3% in 2019 to just 6.8% in 2023, as companies aim for more sustainable travel practices. [2] 

(25) More than half of travelers (53%) are looking for accommodations that combine the latest sustainable practices with comfort. [16]

(26) While on the road, 74% of travelers agree that it’s important to minimize their environmental footprint. [17] 

(27) Nearly 3 in 5 travelers have chosen greener transportation or accommodations for their vacations. [16]

(28) 72% of business travelers are more likely to book with travel providers that offer sustainable options. [7]

(29) 73% of business travelers believe that their company should have a sustainability policy for travel. [7]

Statistics on business travel tech usage

The digital shift is simplifying business travel, making online check-ins, bookings, and post-trip reimbursements a breeze. Below are stats showcasing how tech adoption is refining the business travel experience for travelers and employers alike.

(30) 85% of business travelers use their smartphone for work while on trips [7]

(31) 68% of business travelers book their trips through online channels, according to a survey of 1,000+ people in 2018. [16]

(32) 66.5% of companies use an online expense reporting platform with a mobile solution. [15]

(33) Only 26% of travel managers claim that their corporate travel booking tool does a good job of accommodating employees with accessibility needs. [18]

(34) Millennials rely the most on generative AI tools to plan their trips (14% of them). [16]

The ins and outs of bleisure

(35) U.S. business travelers take over 405 million long-haul business trips annually. It is estimated that employees are adding vacation time to around 60% of these trips (243 million). [19]

(36) 67% of bleisure trips begin with an agenda to attend a conference, 46% with external meetings, and 42% with sales opportunities​​. [19]

(37) 57% of companies have a policy in place for employees aged 20-30 to extend business trips with vacation time. [18]

(38) 17% of bleisure trips stretch over four nights, 31% span three nights, and 39% last for two nights​​. [19]

(39) 35% of bleisure travelers have company during their trips, while 36% plan to visit with family or friends at their destination. [19]

(40) 86% of bleisure travelers regard corporate travel as a vital component for career development. [20]

(41) 39% of bleisure travelers actively seek job roles that offer business trip opportunities — they’re even open to sacrificing other benefits for more chances to travel​​. [20]

(42) Bleisure trips are linked to efforts to become more sustainable, with 60% of surveyed business travelers reporting that the pandemic has made them more conscious of the environmental impact of traveling. [21]

Enhance your experience: business travel tips

Traveling for business — especially for bleisure — is always exciting. However, the administrative trail of expenses left in the wake of your adventure can often dull the sparkle, especially when it takes ages to get paid back after your business trip. 

Let’s break down some tried-and-true business travel tips to ensure your next trip isn’t just fruitful but also enjoyable. 

Leverage expense management software: Utilizing expense management software like Expensify is a game-changer for seamless business travel. It automates expense tracking, categorization, and reporting, so you can say goodbye to manual data entry and hello to more free time to explore new cities. 

Ditch paper receipts: Paper receipts are easy to lose and a hassle to manage. Thanks to Expensify’s SmartScan technology, you can easily track spend on the road by simply snapping a picture of your receipt, uploading it to Expensify, and carrying on with your day.

Stay connected: Staying connected is key, especially when traveling internationally. Make sure to purchase an international SIM card or a global roaming plan to have a reliable mobile connection to keep in touch with your team and manage work on the go.

Prioritize your well-being: Traveling can disrupt your routine, but it's essential to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Ensure you have a balanced diet, stay hydrated, stick to your exercise routine, and get enough rest to stay productive and enjoy your trip!

FAQs about business travel in 2024

What percentage of travel is business travel.

Business travel makes up about 12% of airline passengers. In 2022, business travel made up 24.6% of the US’s tourism spending. [1]

Is business travel increasing?

Business travel has been gradually increasing year over year since the pandemic. While virtual meetings and remote work have become an acceptable norm, corporate travel is still valuable for many companies. By the end of 2024, US-based companies’ spending on corporate travel is expected to reach and perhaps surpass 2019 levels. [5]

What businesses travel the most?

Construction spent 23% more than the second highest-spending industry in 2023, healthcare and social assistance. Professional services, mining, oil, and gas industry, as well as manufacturing round out the top five industries for business travel. [22]

Struggling with receipt tracking on business trips?

Expensify automates receipt scanning, simplifies reports, and gives you real-time insights — even on the move.

Expensify values your privacy. We’ll never sell your personal information to others.

[1] 33+ Business Travel Statistics for 2024, photoAiD

[2] Business Travel Trends 2024, AirPlus

[3] U.S. Business Travel Industry Responsible for Almost 2% of U.S. GDP and 3.5% of Employment in Latest Full-Year Figures, Global Business Travel Association

[4] Reimagining business travel, without all the baggage, Mastercard

[5] Upward climb with uphill struggles: 2024 Deloitte corporate travel study, Deloitte

[6] 25+ Essential Business Travel Statistics [2023]: How Much Do Companies Spend On Business Travel, Zippia

[7] Key Business Travelers Statistics: Preferences, Challenges, and Technology Utilization, Gitnux

[8] Security risks deter employees from international business travel, Strategic Risk

[9] 20 Business Travel Safety Tips and Guidelines for Employees, Alert Media

[10] Over 60 Business Travel Statistics (2022), Stratos Jet Charters

[11] Amsterdam and New York named top business travel cities, Business Travel News Europe

[12] Hong Kong remains the most expensive location in Asia for business travel, ECA International

[13] 42 Business Travel Statistics That Will Inspire You to Hit the Road, SmallBizGenius

[14] Everything you need to know on International Business Travel Statistics, Destinations, Spending & Top Business Travel Trends., Condor Ferries

[15] 105 Critical Business Travel Statistics: 2024 Spending & Concerns Analysis, FinancesOnline

[16] All the Tourism and Travel Statistics You Need to Know in 2024, Regiondo

[17] Business Travel Trends Will Redefine Expectations, Hilton

[18] 100+ Business Travel Statistics (2023), Dream Big Travel Far

[19] 77+ Bleisure Travel Statistics [Updated 2022], Stratos Jet Charters

[20] 42 bleisure travel statistics for 2024, TravelPerk

[21] The Future of Blended Travel, Crowne Plaza

[22] Our latest data forecasts the top industries for business travel in FY24, Corporate Traveller

Shaelyn Combs

Shaelyn is a PNW resident whose main hobby is trying new hobbies. For now, you can probably find her knee-deep in the river, making noise on a ukulele, or in the garden getting overly excited about growing a new vegetable - always with her two rescue pups by her side.

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100+ business travel statistics (some never before released)

See how to save your company time and money on business travel

How the coronavirus pandemic affected business travel.

Business travel was hit hard by the 2020 health crisis

• International mobility decreased by 65% due to COVID-19 - the lowest rate of travel since the introduction of the Boeing 707 in 1958 which marked the start of the Jet Age ( McKinsey ).
• Following 10 years of predictable growth, the losses sustained by corporate travel in 2020 were 10 times larger than those seen after 9/11 and the 2008 recession ( Global Business Travel Association ).
• It’s estimated the travel industry will lose $820 billion of corporate travel spending due to the coronavirus pandemic ( CNBC ).
• Reduced spending on travel cost the U.S. economy $162 billion in 2020 alone ( U.S. Travel Association ).
• 2020 saw two-thirds of flights put out of action, and 18 airlines declared bankruptcy (McKinsey).
• While business travel was down by 90% at the height of the pandemic, some companies saw work travel return to about 80% of pre-pandemic levels when restrictions eased over the summer (McKinsey).
• In 2020 hotels were at 29% occupancy worldwide, compared with 72% occupancy over the same period in 2019 (McKinsey).
• In 2020 travel managers reported annual travel spending was only 5-15% of the previous year’s totals (McKinsey).
• Research has revealed that, on average, it takes 5 years for airline services to return to normal levels after unexpected events like the pandemic ( IATA ).

Never fear—business travel is bouncing back

• After losses of 52% in 2020, corporate travel is predicted to generate $842 billion in spending in 2021 ( GBTA ).
• 30% of employees would accept roles with a lower salary if the position offered more opportunities to travel ( Booking.com for Business ).
• 64% of workers believe in-person contact is vital for building trust, with 53% stating they have more faith in face-to-face sales situations than online prospectors ( TravelPerk ).
• 53% of survey participants believe their industry requires face-to-face meetings. HR teams, in particular, think that in-person contact is crucial, with 67% of respondents stating their sector would collapse if meetings were forced online ( TravelPerk ).
• Virtual meetings may not reap the best results, with 60% of employees claiming they prepare more for face-to-face meetings than online alternatives ( TravelPerk ).
• For every dollar they spend on business travel, organizations reap an extra $12.50 in revenue ( TravelPerk ).
• The business travel market is expected to recover and hit $829.5 billion by 2027 ( ReportLinker ).
• Almost 100% of corporate travelers enjoy the time they spend traveling for work ( NationalCar.com ).
• 90% of corporate travelers want to carry on taking work trips for the duration of their career ( SavvySleeper ).
• While it’s hard to say for sure when business travel will return to pre-pandemic levels, we’re seeing some interesting domestic recovery trends already. In Europe, domestic travel in Germany was at a low point back in April 2020 at only 8%. However, by September, this reached 71% of pre-pandemic levels! Something similar happened in Spain, where domestic travel was as low as 1% in April and rose to 45% in September when the restrictions were relaxed (TravelPerk proprietary data).
• Business travelers started traveling domestically before international travel resumed. U.S. business travelers are leading the charge at 47% recovery as of January 2021. That’s followed by Spain at 25% domestic recovery, and Germany at 12% (TravelPerk proprietary data).
• Domestic business travel in China is already bouncing back - in fact, only 2% of respondents to this McKinsey report had taken a domestic business trip before May 2020, whereas 25% of respondents had taken one by August of the same year.
• According to our own survey, 50% of companies have implemented new corporate travel policies for the next normal ( TravelPerk ).
• In a 2020 survey, 30% of participants believed their organization would spend 30% of their annual travel budgets on client meetings in 2021, increasing 6% on 2019 spending ( Statista ).
• The proportion of female business travelers is growing. In the USA, 47% of business travelers are now women ( CreditDonkey ).

Is business travel on the increase in your team?

You'll travel a little differently than you did before.

• Over half of business travelers surveyed said that travel restrictions put them off booking arrangements for fear of not having them refunded. More flexible cancellation policies will continue to be key ( GlobalData ).
• Being able to reach providers to change or cancel flights easily (70%)
• Having access to security fast lanes (69%)
• Maintaining social distancing through spacious seating on flights (66%).
• Your travel planning windows will be shorter. You’ll look for tickets and accommodation closer to your departure date than you did before. Data from our own platform reveals that searches for trips less than 6 days away are now almost equal to searches for trips between 7 and 30 days away. Before the coronavirus pandemic, the vast majority of trips were searched for and planned 7 to 30 days in advance ( TravelPerk ).
• Rail travel will boom over air travel and is already leading the path to recovery. Our own data shows that 80% of domestic trips in Germany are being booked on trains ( TravelPerk ). Furthermore, nearly 50% of passengers now find reducing their carbon emissions and sustainability more important than they did before COVID-19 ( GlobalData ).
• Airfares could rise by as much as 54% in a post-pandemic world. This will be due to the growing need to keep planes at a higher standard of cleanliness than before, more contactless solutions, and 24-hour service at airports. Travel managers will therefore need to find ways to optimize their business travel spending and consider savings as a significant part of their company’s travel policy ( BBC ).

Future-proof your corporate travel management

The cost of business travel.

• In 2021 the United States led global spending on corporate travel with a bill of $322.42 billion ( World Bank ).
• The cost of the average American business trip is $1293. While domestic trips average at $990 per itinerary, for international ventures, the number rises to $2525 ( Runzheimer and Expert Market ).
• Domestic flights within the U.S are increasing in cost, with roundtrips averaging around $330 compared to $235 at the start of 2022 ( Travel Pulse ).
• In 2020 the breakdown of spending for business trips was 34% for accommodation, 27% for air tickets, 27% for meal costs, and 19% for car rental ( Travel Pulse ).
• In 2022 the IRS's recommended per diem rate for meals and other incidental costs for US business travelers was set at $59, and the average cost for accommodation was set at $96 per night ( Federal Pay ).

The US is getting expensive, like Switzerland

• In a 2019 survey, New York City took the top spot for the most expensive city for corporate travel, with per diem spending averaging $799. Coming in second was Zurich, with an average spend of $661 per day and closely followed by Washington DC ($621) and Paris ($617) ( ECA International ).
• In Asia, Hong Kong came in first as the most expensive city for business travelers, with the average daily spend coming in at $515 (ECA International).
• Joined only by Paris and Reykjavik, the United States and Switzerland are home to 8 of the world's top 10 most expensive cities for corporate travel. Los Angeles, New York, Washington DC, and San Francisco made the list for the USA, while Geneva, Zurich, Bern, and Basel made up the Swiss contributions ( ECA International ).
• Perhaps unsurprisingly, Geneva was ranked top for most expensive business trip destinations in Europe in 2019, with other Swiss cities also featuring heavily in the top 6 (ECA International).

Further reading recommended:

Tech innovators and unicorns travel differently, disruptive tools, technology and trends.

• The number of Airbnb bookings among tech companies doubled from 2017 to 2018 (TravelPerk).
• Millennial business travelers employed by tech companies prefer non-chain hotels and low-cost air carriers. 85% of them booked low-cost airlines in 2018 (TravelPerk).
• 74% of millennial travelers have stayed in a rental property while on a business trip compared to 38% of Generation X travelers and 20% of baby boomers. 44% of millennials stated they preferred staying in Airbnb-style rentals while traveling for work ( Hipmunk ).
• Tech travelers break with company policy less than those in the consulting industry. On average, tech companies report 13% of itineraries are not technically compliant with travel policies compared to 16% from consulting firms (TravelPerk).
• European tech companies have unusual travel hubs: Amsterdam, Stockholm, Brighton, Lisbon, and Copenhagen are among their top destinations (TravelPerk).
• When surveyed, 98% of travel managers claim the most significant metrics are policy compliance, traveler experience, and expenditure ( ACTE ).

Why and how business travelers travel

Most corporate travelers travel just once per year, predominantly to visit clients.

• 30% of European corporate travelers fly once per month. 62% travel once per year. 5% travel 21 to 40 times per year ( Fly Aeolus ).
• 44% of European corporate travelers fly to visit with a customer. 32% fly to visit another company office in a different city (Fly Aeolus).
• In the USA, personal cars are used for 81% of business trips ( United States Department of Transportation ).
• Group business travel is more common than you might think. 50% of European corporate business trips are for parties of two or more (Fly Aeolus).
• 26% of European business travelers report a direct connection as the top factor influencing their decision when selecting flights. Other primary considerations were price (19%), convenience with existing schedules (23%), and airport location (20%) (Fly Aeolus).

Business travel industry trends and impact

There’s a push to measure the roi of travel.

• Companies realize $12.50 in incremental revenue for every dollar invested in business travel ( Oxford Economics ).
• An estimated 28% of current business would be lost if business travel were suddenly cut off (Oxford Economics).
• However, only 13% of corporate travel managers actively measure trip success rate and trip ROI ( ACTE ).

Travel management metrics need improving

• 80% of corporate travel managers believe that a standard system of measurement would positively impact corporate travel ( ACTE ).
• 81% of travel managers measure booking statistics like advance bookings, hotel attachment, and booking issues (ACTE) .
• Only 37% of travel managers measure travel engagement (how frequently travelers interact with the TMC or in-house travel manager) (ACTE) .
• 94% of corporate travel managers rely on a TMC or travel agency for reporting (ACTE) .
• Only 61% of corporate travel managers use traveler surveys as part of their travel management metrics. These surveys can help gather data on traveler satisfaction and trip success (ACTE) .
• 4 out of 5 business travel managers believe enacting a system of metrics could benefit their corporate travel program (ACTE) .

Self-booking and mobile bookings are growing

• 59% of U.S. business travelers always book their hotel themselves and 30% usually book their hotel themselves ( Statista ).
• In another survey, 69% of business travelers report that they book travel themselves regardless of the type of booking ( Skift ).
• While desktop bookings still reign supreme, 79% of corporate travelers have completed a business trip booking on their mobile device ( LCT ).
• Business travelers love live chat. 79% of travel industry businesses saw an increase in revenue when they provided live chat (LCT).

Traveler satisfaction and concerns

What travelers want.

• 80% of frequent business travelers feel that they deserve to make time for fun activities during most of their business trips. And fortunately, 79% of them feel that their boss agrees ( NationalCar ).
• 86% of business travelers say that they know how to successfully manage their personal lives while away from home ( NationalCar ).
• 61% of travel managers have a system in place to measure their traveler’s satisfaction ( ACTE ).
• 22% of business travelers would like travel suppliers to remember their personal details for the future ( Accenture ).
• 67% of travelers would like travel companies to make recommendations based on their previous preferences ( Accenture ).
• Over 50% of travelers would appreciate real-time notifications and for airlines to rebook their flights automatically ( International Air Transport Association ).
• Post lockdown, the most significant factor for 70% of business travelers when booking airfares is flexibility. Other key variants are onboard sanitation (63%), flying direct (61%), and hygiene protocols between flights ( Skift Research & McKinsey ).

What business travelers are concerned about

• Flight delays are the leading concern among U.S. business travelers. The second concern is the dreaded middle seat ( Statista ).
• European corporate travelers rank the most tiring aspects of business travel like so: 27% say waiting time is the most tiring while 25% choose no direct flights, 22% say riding to and from the airport, 16% say early departure times or late arrivals and 10% say the flight itself ( Fly Aeolus ).
• What is the number one way to improve the traveler experience? 35% of European corporate travelers report that having to spend less time at the airport is the number one thing they wish they could improve. 23% would like to spend less time on the way to the airport. 26% want better availability of direct flights and the remaining 16% want greater flexibility with their schedule (Fly Aeolus).

Millennial business travel statistics

Millennials are the most frequent business travelers.

• Millennials take an average of 7.4 trips per year ( Skift ).
• Baby boomers take an average of 6.3 trips per year (Skift).
• 75% of millennial business travelers think that traveling for work is a perk ( Hilton Hotels & Reports Survey ).
• 65% of millennial business travelers see it as a status symbol ( Hilton Hotels & Reports Survey ).
• 34% of surveyed employees revealed they have their most innovative ideas while traveling for work. When analyzing the data from 16-24-year-old respondents, this number jumps to 53% ( TravelPerk ).

Most millennials are happy with their ability to self-book...but are they using company approved sites?

• 72% of millennial business travelers are satisfied with their ability to book business travel on a third-party site ( Statista ).
• Hotel bookings are extremely fractured. 28% of millennial business travelers book hotels directly on a hotel’s website. 10% book hotels through an OTA like Expedia. 7% book with a third-party reseller like Kayak. 14% book with a travel agent ( Skift ).

Millennials value free time and leisure time during business travel

• 43% of millennials have extended their business travel trip for leisure ( Statista ).
• 78% of millennials have purposefully carved out personal time during a business trip ( Forbes ).
• 57% of companies have a policy in place for employees who wish to extend their business trip with vacation time ( Forbes ).
• Millennial men are twice as likely to believe they should avoid having fun on a business trip, 41% versus 20% ( NationalCar ).

Business versus leisure travel statistics

Bleisure is climbing.

• Bleisure trips grew 20% from 2016 to 2017 ( Forbes ).
• More than 40% of business trips are extended for leisure purposes ( Expedia ).
• Bleisure travelers are typically frequent business travelers: 32% of bleisure travelers travel for work once or twice per month (Expedia) .
• Business trips for conferences or conventions are the most likely to become bleisure trips. 43% of trips for these types of events will turn into bleisure trips, while 24% of trips for team offsite meetings and 9% of sales trips will be a bleisure trip (Expedia) .
• 84% of bleisure trips that are less than three days take place in one city, while 20% of bleisure trips that are longer than three days take place in more than one city (Expedia) .
• Why do business trips turn into bleisure trips? 66% percent of bleisure travelers say it's because they like the destination and want to explore it. 51% said they turn business trips into bleisure trips based on the proximity to the weekend (Expedia) .

The proportion of business travel spend versus leisure travel spend continues to grow

• Each year, the proportion of business travel spend grows by about .05%. In 2017, the most recent available year, business travel accounted for 30% of all travel spend in the U.S. ( Statista ).
• While business travelers typically make up just 12% of all flyers, they are twice as profitable to airlines because they are loyal and use frequent flier programs, buy amenities like extra legroom, and also book more flights with less notice ( Investopedia ).

First-class travel isn’t affected by the purpose of the trip

• Each year 19% of U.S. travelers will board a first-class flight for leisure. Meanwhile, 20% of US travelers will fly first class for a business trip in the span of one year ( Statista and Statista )

Rogue bookings

Do business travelers comply.

• 60% of companies have a corporate travel policy in place, and 50% of companies allow travelers to book using any method they choose ( Lodging ).
• Hotels are most frequently booked outside of the approved channel. 46% of business travelers have booked hotels on consumer sites because they found a better price (Lodging) .
• 52% of employees feel their organization’s corporate travel policy moderately aligns with the company’s wider culture ( Medium, 2017 ).
• Only 69% of business travelers feel they can comply with their organization’s corporate travel policies ( Lola.com , 2019 ).
• Using a travel management tool can help improve compliance with corporate travel policies. An advanced booking solution can assist organizations in raising their compliance to 100% through powerful automation systems.

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42 Business Travel Statistics That Will Inspire You to Hit the Road

By Danica Jovic

February 6, 2024

People enjoy traveling. Indeed, they like it so much that most don’t care if they need to send a few emails, attend meetings, or listen to seminars during their trip. Work hard, play hard – that’s the motto of business travelers, who are happy to endure a morning full of meetings if it means they can spend the afternoon sipping margaritas in the sun.

Business travel statistics show that about 30% of job seekers are ready to accept lower-paid jobs if they include business trips. Companies are aware that employees enjoy these “bleisure” trips, and are in many cases willing to make them more comfortable with a lot of money for travel spending, accommodation, meals, and transportation. We’ve compiled the following stats and facts to show just how popular business travel has become.

Editor’s Choice: Business Travel Statistics

• Global business travel statistics from 2017 show that during that year, $1.33 trillion was spent on business travel worldwide.
• Globally, annual business travel costs are expected to amount to $1.7 trillion by 2022.

According to the Global Business Travel Association, 1.3 million business trips are taken in the US every day.

• Almost 10% of business trips can be categorized as “bleisure” trips.

Although business travel is on the rise, only 60% of companies actually have a corporate travel policy.

General business travel statistics.

Even though we live in a telecommunication-dominated era, face-to-face business meetings are still essential for building stable and continuous relationships with clients. No matter how easy it is for workers to make a conference call, communicate with colleagues via Skype, or attend a webinar from the comfort of your own office, companies still organize business trips for employees. In fact, the business travel economy has grown rapidly since the Great Recession, with spending reaching $1.6. trillion in 2020.

The latest US business travel statistics show that US travelers took over 463 million business trips inside the US in 2018.

While business travelers account for only 12% of flight tickets, they generate roughly twice as much money per person for airlines as non-business customers..

(Investopedia)

Global business travel statistics from 2017 show that $1.33 trillion was spent on business travel worldwide during that calendar year.

(Global Business Travel Association)

Annual global business travel costs are set to rise to $1.7 trillion by 2022, according to what was then the National Business Travel Association.

Two-thirds of business travelers believe it’s difficult to build a working relationship via video calls..

(Skift and TripActions)

Global Business Travel Statistics

International business travel statistics show that the US and China are the global leaders when it comes to business travel spending, followed by India, Indonesia, and Sweden. You probably won’t be surprised to learn that the most expensive cities for taking business trips are New York and the two largest Swiss cities: Zurich and Geneva. However, while most countries are spending more on business travel, the UK is going backward; there was a 3% decline in outbound business trips in 2018 due to concerns about Brexit.

China has the largest business travel market, with total spending amounting to $346.5 billion in 2017.

India (11.3%) and indonesia (8.7%) are the two countries with the fastest-growing business travel markets., new york city is the most expensive city for business travel, with daily costs adding up to ($799), followed by geneva, ($716 per day), zurich ($661 per day), washington dc ($621 per day), and paris ($617 per day)..

(ECA International)

Hong Kong remains the most expensive city in Asia for business travel, with an average daily cost of $515.

In total, more than $50 billion was spent on business travel in the uk in 2017., from 2017 to 2018, there was a 3% decline in outbound business trips from the uk. in fact, since 2016, the outbound traffic rate has dropped steadily due to concerns about brexit., american travel statistics for business.

American companies understand the importance of investing in business travel. Whether for meetings, educational events, or conferences, Americans spend a lot of time and money on both personal and group business trips.

This spending is particularly heavy on the west coast. Indeed, the annual number of inbound business trips to the west is 7.5 million higher than those heading from the west to other parts of the country.

By 2022, there will be nearly 500 million business trips per year within the US.

In the us, nearly $328 billion was spent on international and domestic business trips in 2018..

(US Travel Association)

Predictions suggest that North America will lose 1% of global business travel market share by 2022.

There are about 64 million inter-regional trips in the us every year, statistics about traveling show..

(US Department of Transportation)

The west is America’s most popular region for business trips; annually, it attracts nearly 7.5 million more inter-regional business trips than it sends away. Every year, the south hosts 7.7 million fewer inbound inter-regional business trips than outbound ones.

26% of all business trips are one day long, according to international travel statistics..

(Associations Now)

Business Traveler Demographics

If you’re wondering who makes these trips, the answer is not as straightforward as you might think. Men aged between 30 and 49 form the majority of the business travel population, but the number of women who travel for business is growing rapidly.

Travelers are growing up quickly too; 40% of millennials now travel for work, and many choose jobs specifically because of the opportunity to travel. Most millennials who travel extend their business trips to visit other cities.

According to Bureau of Transportation statistics, 77% of people traveling for work are men.

Although some sites claim that 47% of business travelers are women, according to the american travel bureau, the actual proportion of women travelers is just 23%., more than half of all business trips are taken by people aged 30 to 49., millennial business travelers – stats and facts.

Millennials have now reached the age when they’re starting to rise to important positions in the workplace. They’re also known for valuing work-life balance perhaps more than any previous generation. That’s why it’s no surprise that millennials are strongly represented in business travel statistics.

Nearly 40% of millennials travel for business.

(American Express)

Nearly two-thirds of young workers and millennials see business trips as a status symbol.

(Hilton Hotels & Resorts)

Travelers aged 18 to 29 take 16% of all business trips.

55% of millennials prefer to prolong their business trips in order to have more time to experience new places and learn new things., business travel costs.

Business travel isn’t cheap. Indeed, when you take into account transportation, accommodations, food, and attendance at seminars, the costs add up. And most companies don’t choose cheap travel options. Companies spend a lot of money on business trips in order to provide the best experience to their employees.

The average cost of business travel per day in the US is $325.

(Business Travel News)

On the average business trip, companies spend $1,217 for international round-trip tickets and $470 on domestic business tickets.

(JTB Business Travel)

For every trip, US businesses spend nearly $950 per traveler who travels inside the US, while the average cost for an international business trip is $2,600 per person.

Us businesses spend $31.6 billion on international travel every year., typically, companies’ business traveling budgets are distributed like this: meals (21%), flights (17%), miscellaneous expenses (17%), and accommodation (13%)., 5% of total business travel costs go toward cell phones, while only 3% are spent on taxi services., if you’re organizing a business trip to new york, you should budget $145 for three meals a day. however, in nashville, you’ll need to budget only $76.50., business travel transportation facts.

You might be surprised to learn that most of America’s business trips are made by car. Americans prefer to travel in their private vehicles when possible.

About 405 million long-distance business trips are made each year in America, according to US travel statistics.

81% of all business trips are taken by car, while 16% are taken by plane., distance plays an important role in determining which mode of transport should be used; 97% of short trips (50 to 90 miles) are taken by vehicle., the world’s most expensive travel lounges are in these airports: dubai ($329/person), london city ($157/person), and london heathrow ($67/person)., bleisure travel statistics.

Work hard, play hard – this is the philosophy many business travelers now live by. “Bleisure” is a portmanteau that means exactly what you think it means: corporate trips that consist of both business and leisure. Just ask freelancers or remote workers, many of whom have taken bleisure to be their new lifestyle. The average corporate traveler in the USA lives the bleisure lifestyle by extending business trips so they can visit new cities and interact with different cultures.

Almost 10% of business trips can be categorized as bleisure trips.

Nearly 60% of businesses support bleisure trips by encouraging employees to extend their business trips., nearly 50% of business travelers extend their trips to visit other countries or cities..

(Booking.com)

More Business Travel Statistics and Facts

Nowadays, people are willing to take lower-paid jobs if they include business trips as a perk. While some companies don’t support “shared economy services” like Airbnb and Uber, statistics show that most American business travellers prefer these types of services.

Traveling for work is the main reason about 30% of people would choose a lower-paying job.

(Finance Online)

40% of business travelers don’t follow their companies’ travel policies. Instead, they make their hotel reservations on their own.

(Skift and Turkish Airlines)

15% of total Airbnb bookings come from business travelers.

What percent of travel is for business.

Business trips make up about 12% of total air travel. However, thanks to business class fares, they typically generate twice as much money for airlines as regular trips.

How many people travel business each year?

According to US statistics on traveling, 405 million long-distance business trips are taken each year.

What businesses travel the most?

With younger generations – especially millennials – looking for more dynamic jobs, more and more companies are ready to organize regular business trips for their employees. In general, sales representatives, consultants, and travel agents tend to travel most often. Professions like programming and accounting are typically thought of as desk jobs, but nowadays even those workers are getting the chance to attend trips and conferences.

What age group travels the most?

People between 30 and 49 travel the most for business, and most of those travelers are men. However, the number of women of all ages traveling for business is increasing. About 40% of millennials travel for business.

How long is the average business trip?

Business trips are typically quite short. On average, 26% of business trips are only one day long. Of course, many people like to combine business and leisure by extending their business to visit other places, according to the latest business travel statistics.

• American Express
• Booking.com
• ECA International
• Finance Online
• Global Business Travel Association 
• Investopedia
• Skift and TripActions
• US Department of Transportation
• Associations Now
• Business Travel News
• Hilton Hotels & Resorts
• JTB Business Travel

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100+ business travel statistics (2023).

Business travelers contribute a lot to the travel industry in general.

In the US alone, 1.3 million people go on business trips every day.

Although the industry was forced to a slowdown due to the recent Covid-19 pandemic , the business travel market is expected to grow by 188% in 2028.

Today, I’ve summarized everything from the average business travel spending to employee behaviour towards corporate travel.

Whether you’re going on a trip for work or something else, we hope you might find these statistics useful!

Let’s get started…

Sources : You can see the source of every statistics or go to the bottom of this post for a full list of all the surveys and articles used here.

Travellerspoint

What is considered business travel?

Business travel includes any domestic or international trip taken by employees in order to complete corporate-related events. For example, meetings, client works, trade shows, conferences, and product launches.

Business travel spending generally comprises all aspects of the trip, from accommodation and transportation to entertainment.

How many people in the US travel for business?

In the US alone , 1.3 million people travel for business daily.

How big is the business travel market?

The global business travel market was worth $700 billion in 2020.

What percentage of travel is business vs leisure?

In 2021, business travel accounted for 20% of the total global travel and tourism expenditure.

Is the business travel industry growing?

Yes, the business travel market is predicted to grow by 188% in 2028.

Business Travel Key Statistics

• 92% of these countries also called off all or most of their domestic business tours in April 2020.
• The global business travel market was worth $700 billion in 2020. 
• By 2028, the business travel market is predicted to grow by 188%.
• Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the loss in global business travel spending reached over $700 billion in 2020.
• Accommodation makes up 34% of the average business trip cost, while airfare makes up 27%, meals 20% and car rental 19%.
• The average business traveler is male (63%) and aged between 35 and 54 year old (50%).
• In 2021, the United States and Canada both ranked as the best-rated destinations for business and non-leisure travellers.
• 56% of business travelers state that lowering their carbon footprint is a moderate priority, whereas 21% believe that it’s a top priority. 
• The share of companies canceling most or all domestic business trips worldwide reached 38% as of October 2021.
• 35.2% of travels buyers believe that travel digitization will increase after the COVID-19 pandemic.

General business tourism statistics

1. although business travelers only comprise 12% of all airline passengers, they contribute up to 75% of profits..

[Investopedia]

This is because corporate travelers tend to pay a higher rate for last-minute and non-stop options.

2. In April 2020, 98% of the member countries of the Global Business Travel Association had to cancel overseas business trips.

[ReportLinker]

3. 92% of these countries also called off all or most of their domestic business tours.

4. nearly all business travel bookings are made online, with 28% of hotel bookings made from the hotel’s website, 14% through a travel agent, 10% from an online travel agency (ota), and 7% through a third-party..

[StratosJets]

Around the world, 57% of all travel bookings are made online .

5. In the US alone, 1.3 million people travel for business daily.

Global business travel market, 6. the global business travel market was worth $700 billion in 2020. , 7. in 2028, the business travel market is predicted to grow by 188%., 8. the global business travel market is estimated to reach $829.5 billion by 2027 at a cagr of 3% over seven years..

The travel market is one of the hardest hit industries in the world by the Coronavirus pandemic. It has begun to recover, albeit slowly, and is expected to reach pre-pandemic levels in roughly seven years.

9. Food & lodging takes up the largest segment in business travel, projected to grow at a 3.7% CAGR and hit $446.6 billion by the end of 2027.

10. the business travel market in the united states was estimated to be worth approximately $243.2 billion in 2020., 11. the chinese business travel market is predicted to grow at a 5.1% cagr until it reaches $49.8 billion in 2027..

China has the second largest economy in the world. It’s forecast to achieve a market size of$49.8 billion by 2027.

12. Japan and Canada’s business travel market are predicted to grow at a rate of 2.2% and 3.1% respectively between 2020 and 2027.

13. meanwhile, germany will grow with a cagr of 2.4% over the same period of 2020-2027. , 14. the asia-pacific region is calculated to reach $114.9 billion market share by 2027, with the notable economies being australia, india, and south korea., 15. in the transportation segment of business travel, us, canada, japan, china and europe is expected to drive the 1.4% cagr, reaching a combined $101.9 billion by 2027., 16. the latin american transportation market of business travel will grow at a 1.8% cagr., business travel spending.

How much are the average business travel expenses?

17. In 2021, business travel accounted for 20% of the total global travel and tourism expenditure, a 1% decrease from 2019.

18. Business travel expenditure peaked at approximately $1.4 trillion in 2019.

Overall, business travel includes work-related trips such as attending meetings, trade fairs, and congresses.

19. Business travel spending is forecasted to reach $0.9 trillion in 2022, and recover to the all-time high of $1.4 trillion by mid-2026.

20. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the loss in global business travel spending reached over $700 billion in 2020.

21. global business travel spending is expected to gain 33.8% in 2022., 22. china recorded the world's highest business travel spending in 2021, at almost $295 billion..

The country spending the second highest amount in business travel was United States, at just over half of China’s spending.

23. However, China was also the country that experienced the biggest loss in business travel expenditure ($404 billion) due to the pandemic.

24. europe was the second most impacted region, losing $190.5 billion collectively..

Europe experienced a $190.5 billion loss in business travel during the pandemic.

25. The Asia-Pacific region (not counting China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan) lost $120.2 billion in business travel spending.

26. in terms of business travel spending recovery, north american performed best in 2021, all thanks to the rapid regaining of domestic travel. it’s expected to experience a compounded annual growth of 23.4% by 2026., 27. for 2022, there was an increase of 16.5% ($407.1 billion) in the asia pacific region, recovering to 66% of pre-pandemic levels by the end of the year., 28. accommodation makes up 34% of the average business trip cost, while airfare makes up 27%, meals 20% and car rental 19%..

[Travel Pulse]

29. In general, January and March and September to October are the most expensive times to travel.

Demographics of business travelers.

Who is the average business traveler?

30. The average business traveler is male (63%) and aged between 35 and 54 year old (50%).

A recent survey has revealed that only 37% of business travelers are female .

31. Over half (56%) of business travelers are employed in a professional or managerial position.

32. business travelers make an average of $127,000 per year., 33. 66% of business travelers hold a bachelors’ degree., 34. a majority of business travelers, or 78%, travel alone on corporate trips..

Business travelers contribute to the rising number of solo travellers. In fact, 78% of them travel alone for business .

35. Nearly all (95%) business travelers will make reservations for their trip.

Top business travel destinations.

Where do people travel the most for business?

36. In 2021, the United States and Canada both ranked as the best-rated destinations for business and non-leisure travellers, each obtaining 6.4 in scores.

The scoring system is based on the Travel and Tourism Development Index (TTDI), on a scale from 1 (worst) to 7 (best).

Canada scored 6.4 in 2021 , ranking itself as one of two best-rated business and non-leisure travel destinations in the world.

37. They’re followed by Japan (6.2), China (6), and the UK (5.7), rounding up the top 5 business travel destinations.

UK remains as the fifth highest-rated destination for business travelers.

38. The main country destination for business meetings in 2021 was the United States (500 association events).

39. spain and japan, each with more than 360 events in 2021, ranked as the top second and third country destination for business meetings., 40. the us is also the country with the most conferences, business meetings, and trade shows planned between may 2022 and april 2023, with 33 thousand listed events., 41. the united kingdom has the second highest number of events planned for that period, with 6.4 thousand events listed across all industries., 42. in q4 2021, zurich was the most expensive city for business tourism, averaging $593 in daily cost..

Out of the top ten most expensive business travel destinations, three are Swiss cities, which shows just how expensive the country can be.

43. In Tokyo, the average daily cost for business travel is $517.

44. in terms of hotel cost, the most expensive business destination is new york, where a hotel room costs on average $376 per night..

With hotels having an average daily rate of $376 , New York is the most expensive destination for business trips.

45. Europe is expected to recover the most for US-originating trips in 2022. 25% of travelers say that they expect to take the same amount, if not more, business trips to Europe.

Purposes for business travel.

What is an example of business travel?

46. 43% of respondents in a survey say that sales visits are in the top two reasons for making international business trips in 2022.

47. the next driving reasons for international business trips in 2022 are leadership meetings (32%) and client-based projects (31%)., 48. surprisingly, conferences are only ranked as the top two reasons for sending employees overseas by 15% of respondents., employee perks and opinions in business travel, 49. 28% of employees who travel for work report that travel experience or satisfaction is the biggest pain point of their company’s travel program. , 50. meanwhile, only 13% of travel managers state that travel experience or satisfaction is the single greatest strength., 51. 41% of business travelers claim that cost savings outweigh employee satisfaction in their corporate travel program. 38% say that both factors are balanced, while 21% state that employee satisfaction is prioritized over cost efficiency., 52. 38% of business travelers are the least satisfied with the travel technology of their company., 53. the most desired perk by business travelers is the freedom to book with their favorite travel suppliers (46%)., 54. at 43%, the second most desired business travel perk is the permission to stay an extra night after the end of work meetings., 55. 39% of business travelers would like the ability to book their travels outside of the corporate travel agency., 56. 39% expressed a desire for companies to pay for leisure experiences during business trips., 57. however, a majority of travel managers (84%) state that their company would not consider offering bleisure options., 58. for 83% of employees, business travel is considered a job perk., 59. 79% of employees also say that the ability to travel affects job satisfaction., 60. 60% of job applicants report that a company’s travel policy influences their decision when considering an employer., 61. moreover, nearly 2 out of 5 millennial employees won’t accept a job that doesn't allow them to travel..

Almost 2 in 5 millennial employees will not accept jobs that don't allow them to travel.

Sustainability in business travel

62. 56% of business travelers state that lowering their carbon footprint is a moderate priority, whereas 21% believe that it’s a top priority. , 63. a majority of business travelers are willing to forego daily hotel cleaning (77%) to reduce carbon footprint., 64. to support the effort of reducing carbon footprint, most are also willing to use smaller cars (73%), fly premium less frequently (68%), travel less for work (63%), and take longer business trips at a time (56%)..

65. By 2025, 30% of companies expect sustainability to cause a 11% to 25% cutback in travel budgets.

Sustainability remains a priority for most companies, but they also expect that it will cause corporate travel spending to decrease.

Hotels and accommodation in business travel

66. in 2019, meetings and conferences made up 18% of hotel gross bookings..

This data was based on a 2020 Phocuswright study.

67. In a 2015 survey, business travelers comprise 40% of hotel guests.

68. In 2015, hotels generated $141.5 billion in business travel tax revenue alone.

69. corporate booking tools heavily rely on hotels as accommodation. only 9% offer alternative lodging., 70. almost half of companies surveyed in 2022 don’t offer nonhotel lodging reimbursement for their employees..

71. 12% of travel managers have succeeded in adding clauses that specify the availability of amenities for business events in hotels.

72. meanwhile, 10% of travel managers have considered adding such clauses, although they haven’t been successful in implementing them., 73. when airbnb for work launched as airbnb for business in 2014, their bookings tripled from 2015 to 2016..

[PhocusWire]

74. Then again, Airbnb for business bookings tripled from 2016 and 2017, while the number of companies using the platform hit 700,000 in 2017, almost double from the previous year.

In fact, Airbnb for Business was one of the top fastest-growing businesses within the company.

75. Out of the 60% of Airbnb for Work bookings with more than one guest, 40% of them have three or more guests.

This indicates a growing interest in collaborative business trips.

Business travel technology and accessibility

76. only 26% of travel managers claim that their corporate travel booking tool does a good job in accommodating employees with accessibility needs. , 77. meanwhile, a significant percentage of travel managers (37%) are not sure how well their company’s booking tool assists employees with accessibility needs. , 78. 78% of business travelers would like to see personalized search results based on previous purchases and travel loyalty status (78%)., 79. the same percentage (78%) is also interested in the ability to book multiple types of ground transportation., 80. moreover, 70% is interested in integrated access to risk intelligence information. this includes covid-19 infections and crime statistics in the local area..

This shows just how ready business travelers are for new booking-related innovations that can make the business travel experience more seamless.

Challenges and opportunities in business travel

What is the outlook of business travel?

81. 85% of business travelers stated that they need to travel to accomplish their business goals. 

This was based on a GBTA survey in July 2022 of more than 400 frequent business travellers and nearly 48 decision makers.

82. More than 75% expect to make more business trips in 2023 than they did in 2022. 

83.  84% of senior global corporate finance professionals are confident that travel spending would increase in 2023., 84. 73% of business travelers agree that inflation will impact business travel volumes in the future., 85. 69% of business travelers and 75% of global financial executives are worried that a possible recession will affect business travel., 86. most business travelers are ready to travel for work as much as they did before the pandemic. a total of 81% prefer to take the same amount (46%) or more (35%) business trips., 87. compared to wfh-dominant companies, those that implement more wfo policies are twice as likely to expect travel spending to recover to 2019 levels by the end of 2023., 88. over 30% of airbnb for work bookings include at least one weekend night, which shows that leisure is still common., covid-19 impact on business travel.

How did the Covid-19 pandemic affect business travel?

89. The share of companies canceling most or all domestic business trips worldwide reached 38% as of October 2021.

According to the Global Business Travel Association, 38% of companies canceled most or all domestic business trips in October 2021.

90. In that same month, nearly eight in ten firms delayed international business travel.

91. business travel failed to meet expectations in the second half of 2021, with approximately 33% of travel managers expecting to hit half of their 2019 spending in june 2021, but only 8% managing to reach that goal., 92. in 2021, business travel spending worldwide recovered by just 5.5% after having plummeted by over 50% in the previous year due to the coronavirus pandemic. , 93. 70% of providers and buyers of business travel services stated covid-19 travel restrictions hurt their business outcomes..

This data was gathered from a global survey in February 2022.

94. As a concrete example, Deloitte spent more than $583 million on air travel in 2019, but only $97 million in 2020.

This figure is surprising because Deloitte was the second leading air travel spender in the United States.

95. 58% of travel managers around the world expected that hotel prices would plummet during the Covid-19 pandemic.

96. 35.2% of travels buyers believe that travel digitization will increase after the covid-19 pandemic., 97. 72% of organizations are keeping online and hybrid meetings even after the pandemic ends., 98. as of february 2022, around 10% of employees across the globe were still unwilling or unsure to take business trips., 99. while pandemic-related concerns in corporate travel have fallen in 2022, increasing travel prices remain a huge barrier., 100. overall, the 2022 gbta business travel index concludes that the biggest challenges to faster recovery in global business travel include inflation, high energy prices, and labor shortages., 101.  the economic slowdown in china and rising sustainability problems are also two major factors in the slow recovery of business travel worldwide..

That’s all about business travel for now!

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Business Travel Statistics: Welcome Aboard, Frequent Flyer

People just don’t do business like they used to. With everything moving online, corporate executives are communicating via email and messaging apps around the globe, all day, every day.

But, there’s something about human interaction that will never go out of style. That’s why traditional corporate protocol still insists on face-to-face meetings. Whether it’s to close a multi-million dollar deal, or to simply attend an annual work convention, a good, old-fashioned sit-down does the trick.

Although business travel statistics showed a significant slowdown in the immediate aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, business trips today are on the rise, proving to be one of the most valuable status symbols a company can afford.

So, let us walk you through the terminals of international airports, hotel lobbies, and high-class restaurants with these up-to-date business travel stats.

Revenue and Expenses

More than a quarter of global businesses rely on business travel..

(US Travel Association)

Nothing seals the deal like a good old handshake. Customers prefer to have in-person meetings, and companies owe them this privilege. That is why cutting on business travel is rarely posed as an option among big companies, as personal contact with clients is considered important.

According to Oxford Economics business travel statistics, if companies halted their travel policies and denied their customers meetings in person, they would lose approximately 25% of their current clients. This number fairs even higher when it comes to revenue, which would experience a drop of 28% if this nightmare scenario would suddenly turn real.

But that’s not all. An estimate of 36% of customers and 38% of the revenue would be lost in the manufacturing sector if companies were denied their right to use airplanes, trains, and cars to meet and discuss their businesses with clients in person.

Business travel made up about 26% of the total travel revenue in the United States in 2018.

(Global Business Travel Association) (US Travel Association)

The total travel output for 2018 was $2.5 trillion. While leisure traditionally takes up most of the revenue (around 74%), business travel is a constant contributor, with more than $292 billion in spending registered in 2017.

In 2018 US residents logged around 463 million domestic business trips, with 38% of the total number credited to traveling for meetings and events.

And the number is constantly increasing. According to US business travel statistics, the figure is set to rise to 493.7 million by 2022.

Compared to the global business travel revenue of $1.3 trillion in business travels, the United States is certainly a force to be reckoned with. With forecasters agreeing that this figure is to rise to more than $1.7 trillion by 2023, it seems that a huge chunk of the global revenue will still belong to American business travelers in the future.

Domestic business travel accounted for $111.17 billion in 2017.

While international spending averaged $31.6 billion in 2017, domestic business travel accounted for more than three times as much. However, while the average spending per domestic traveler was $949, international globetrotters spent an average of almost three times that much - an average person would spend as much as $2,600 on an international business trip.

But it is proven that business travel always pays off. For every dollar spent on business travel, companies see a $2.9 increase in profit and up to $9.5 increase in revenue.

Accommodation takes up an average of 13% of a business traveler’s budget.

(JTB Business Travel)

Hotel rooms can be expensive, especially when you’re doing business in a high-class metropolis like New York City. While motels, hostels, and Airbnb services are experiencing a rise in popularity among business travelers, hotels still reign supreme, especially within corporate business travel policies.

JTB Business Travel, which measures average prices per diem (per day) of hotels, transport, and meals purchased on business trips shows that New York is the most expensive US city for accommodation. An average New York hotel room costs $385.08 per diem.

If we consider that NYC is home to some of the biggest international hotel franchises like Ritz Carlton or Four Seasons, it’s no wonder that it takes up the flattering first spot. The second most expensive city in the United States is San Francisco at $379.37 per diem, with Boston coming third at $337.64.

In 2018, nearly 700,000 business travelers booked rooms with Airbnb for Work.

(Airbnb) (ZDNet)

Although hotels have a long tradition of accommodating business travelers, for the past few years, Airbnb is reversing the trend.

While domestic hotel rooms cost around $155 per night, Airbnb offers accommodation for only around $99. The company’s international prices are even lower - customers can book a room for an average of $75 as opposed to the $170 they would spend to book a hotel room.

78% of business travelers reported using Uber and other ride-hailing services.

(CNET) (Certify)

With a global market value of $72 billion, Uber has turned the world of taxi drivers upside down. They are becoming the number one choice for corporate travelers who need a lift on their business trips.

Taxi companies aren’t the only ones suffering from this surge of Uber popularity. The rental car service industry - which thrived on corporate executives traveling for business - is also feeling the blow.

In 2016, the market was still shared relatively fairly between ride-hailing and rental-car services. With 40% of travelers preferring to rent a vehicle, and 46% opting for ride-hailing, the only obvious losers were taxi services who only saw 14% the share.

However, in 2018, ride-hailing won the war with 78% of business travelers reporting to have used and preferred services of companies like Uber and Lyft. Rental cars saw a significant decline at 23% and taxi drivers were all but obliterated, falling to 6%.

In 2018 meals and incidental expenses made up $135.9 billion of total business travel spending.

Meals stack up 21% of expenses for an average business traveler. In addition to meals, companies also include incidental expenses into the traveler's allowance.

According to the 2019 edition of the Business Travel News Corporate Travel Index, meals are most expensive in New York, at $144.85 per diem. The runner-up is San Francisco with meal prices averaging $119.22 per diem, and Boston comes in third at $109.16 per diem.

At $495.1 million, Deloitte spent more on business travel expenses than any other US company.

As one of the Big Four accounting companies, Deloitte is a household name when it comes to expertise, professionalism and, of course, profit. When it comes to travel, Deloitte prefers to book flights, rather than any other means of transportation.

However, you don’t get to the top just by mindless spending alone. Due to its huge number of employees and a vast network of international divisions, Deloitte created a global procurement team in 2017 to handle the company’s global airline and hotel bookings.

Deloitte also implemented an automated airfare price assurance program, and strengthened its pre-trip review and approval processes, making booking faster, cheaper and easier. The majority of flights (72%) were conducted in the United States.

The second spot was reserved for IBM, at $430 million. The bronze went to PwC with $317.6 million spent to fund their employees' business trips. All of their business travel expenses were credited to various airlines.

Some airlines earn as much as 75% of their total revenue from business travelers.

(Investopedia)

Airlines get most of their revenue directly from passengers. While business travelers make up only 12% in numbers, they are every airline’s most valuable customer.

According to 2019 data, business travelers usually make up at least twice as much in terms of profit. With first-class tickets sometimes costing 10 times the price of coach tickets, business travel statistics like these come as no surprise.

The data implies that in some cases, airlines earn as much as 75% of their total revenue of trips booked by business travelers of all sorts.

This is mostly due to companies booking first-class tickets for their emissaries traveling across the country. While corporate travel policies have a history of saving money on business trips, in more recent years, this trend is being steadily reversed.

Managers now insist on providing their employees maximum comfort and convenience, since it reflects well on overall productivity. This has pushed airlines to compete with each other in terms of services they offer, continually offering new benefits.

In 2019, four US cities landed on the map of the world’s most expensive cities for business travel.

(CNN) (JTB Business Travel)

Los Angeles and San Francisco have landed on the list of the 10 most expensive cities for business travel. This is a significant jump compared to the year before when only Washington DC and New York held positions on the list.

NYC business travel statistics indicate that the Big Apple is the most expensive city for business travelers, mostly due to hefty hotel prices. Moreover, renting a hotel room in New York costs an average of $385 per diem.

Washington currently holds fourth place in expenses, with San Francisco, and Los Angeles, at seventh and ninth place respectively.

The other five cities worldwide are Zurich, Paris, Reykjavik, Basel, and Bern. The United States and Switzerland dominate the list, with four cities each.

Live chat with travel agencies, much like in-person meetings, improves business.

(Statista) (Kayako)

While this is not related to business travel exclusively, it is fairly indicative of which direction the travel industry is headed. Especially if we consider that 59% of US business travelers always book their hotel themselves and 30% usually book their hotel themselves.

In 2017, 79% of travel industry businesses reported an increase in revenue after enabling a live chat option on their website. Any way you look at it, investing in live chat has a huge influence on customer experience. In the short-term, companies that introduced live chat reported a significant increase in new customers. In the long-run, it does wonders for repeat business.

However, 38% of surveyed users consider a poor live-chat experience the number one reason for frustration when handling their travels.

Demographics and General Business Travel Statistics

Millennials are the fastest-growing group of business travelers in the united states..

Millennials are a rising force of the domestic economy in all sectors. This applies to business travel as well. According to a survey conducted by Skift, young adults in their late twenties/early thirties took 7.4 business trips in 2015.

Their older counterparts, popularly known as Gen Xers, were reported to have an average of 6.4 trips per year. Baby boomers came last with a 6.3 average.

While boomers prefer traditional accommodation, like hotels, younger travelers are more likely to go for non-chain hotels, Airbnb and other “room share” services. This is especially the case for millennials employed in the tech industry.

Also, travel statistics by age group suggest that the same target group most often uses low-cost air carriers, with 85% of them booking low-cost airlines in 2018.

On the other hand, ridesharing companies have experienced a huge growth in popularity among business travelers of all ages. As much as 81% of the survey’s respondents stated that they would take Uber or Lyft over taxis any day.

Millennials are 60% more-likely to purchase seats with extra legroom while flying, and spend some leisure time on their business trip.

(Forbes) (National Car Rental)

With 65% of millennials viewing business travel as a status symbol, additional legroom, as well as other benefits, are things they desire. That being said, they are also more likely to pay for additional headroom, roomier seats, and in-flight entertainment compared to the other two age groups.

Moreover, Millenials are most likely to consider business travel a perk when choosing a job, with nearly 90% of millennials seeking an advantage to extend their business trip into leisure. Other groups are not far behind, with 81% of Generation Xers and 80% of baby boomers also confirming that they like to make the most of the time they are given while away on business.

45% of millennials are prone to feeling guilty about mixing leisure with their business trips.

(Travel Agent Central)

While all business travelers like mixing business with leisure trips, they are also prone to feeling guilty about it. Around 45% of millennial respondents in a survey have reported having the so-called “bleisure travel stigma.” This means they believe they should avoid telling others about the fun times or personal activities they have on business trips.

While they are the least-likely to tell their bosses about their leisure time on business trips, millenials are most-likely to share photos of their adventures on social media.

However, regardless of their age or generation, managers (64%) and executive/senior leaders (67%) are also more likely to share their “bleisure” activities than non-managers (54 %) on social media.

This goes to show, as the employees become older and assume more senior positions within their companies, the stigma wears off. For example, 40% of Gen X respondents said they prefer keeping their personal activities during business trips private.

85% of frequent business travelers report having trouble balancing everyday work responsibilities while traveling for business.

(National Car Rental)

Employees that spend more than 88 days on the road per year showed an increase in breaking the business vs leisure barrier. “Bleisure” travelers reported working 9.1 hours a day, which is a whole hour less than the travelers who engage in strict travel for work purposes who clocked 10.1 hours on average per day.

The divide is real - 53% of business travelers state that finding time for leisure while on an official trip is next to impossible, as opposed to the 59% who manage to squeeze in some “me time” in the mix.

81% of all business trips in the United States are conducted by personal vehicles.

The majority of business travelers still prefer to use their personal vehicles as transport whenever they can. This is mainly due to the fact that 74% of all domestic business trips are conducted within less than 250 miles from the point of departure, with most of those being less than 100 miles.

However, as the distance gets longer, more people turn to air travel. Around 97% of 50-to 99-mile trips, as well as nearly 94% of 100-to-249-mile trips, are conducted by personal vehicles. Once the range reaches 250-to-499 miles, the personal vehicle share sharply declines to 67% while those in favor of airplanes surges to 31%.

While distances over 1,000 miles account for only 7% of the total number of business trips, they are almost exclusively conducted by air travel.

Attending a conference is the number one reason for business trips for all age groups.

Around 62% of all respondents in the Skift 2016 survey stated that the main reason for business travel is usually to attend a conference of some sort. This was the case with 74% of millenials, 61% of Gen Xers, and 53% of boomers.

The second biggest reason (56%) of travel was to attend a meeting with people from another company for the purposes of business planning or customer service. Millennials once again took the lead with 77%, with Gen Xers as second at 56%, and boomers at 39%.

The third reason is professional development or training, with an average of 44% of all respondents naming this as their purpose of business travel. Broken down into individual age brackets, the numbers come down to 63% of millennials, 43% of Gen Xers, and 25% of baby boomers.

Business traveler demographics report that women account for approximately 47% of all business travelers.

(Corporate Traveller)

While the usual stereotype implies that it is more common for men to take business trips, in recent years, the reality is closer to 50-50.

However, as women become more present in the business travel sphere, some specific safety issues arise. Female business traveler statistics focused on safety issues discovered that 90% of respondents named safety as the first thing that affected the activities pursued during personal time while on business travel.

The women who took part in the survey reported that such issues mostly affect their booking behavior (86%), where they prefer to exclusively book daytime flights, and rooms as close to the center of a city as possible.

Location is simply more important for women. For example, 84% cited that they tend to avoid cities and places that have a reputation for being unsafe. Furthermore, 81% indicated their travel frequency for business has also been affected by safety concerns, and 80% agree that such issues have had an impact on their productivity during business trips.

Nevertheless, the average business travel hotel user is still a middle-aged male.

As we’re all accustomed to seeing grey-haired men in suits and ties hanging around hotel lobbies, this fact is hardly a surprise. The average business travel hotel guest is male (63%), aged 35-54 (50%), employed in a professional or managerial position (56%) and earning an average yearly household income of $127,000.

As much as 78% travel alone, with the large majority of business travelers making reservations (95%). According to USA Today, The Hampton Inn and Suites was the favorite choice for corporate travelers in 2017.

Around 60% of companies have a travel policy, although employees prefer to handle booking themselves.

However, as much as 50% of surveyed companies allow travelers to book using any method they choose.

Furthermore, 46% of business travelers have reported preferring booking hotels on consumer sites and finding a better price, then relying on their company to do it for them.

As companies are led by other factors while choosing hotels, employees tend to think in more practical terms. That is why 37% of surveyed travelers reported having booked the hotels that were in the closest possible proximity of an established meeting place or conference location.

International Travel Statistics

China is the leading force when it comes to business travel spending..

(Global Business Travel Association) (CAPA)

With the United States spending more than $292 billion on business travel alone, China has reportedly reached a figure of $346.50 billion that funded their international corporate exploits.

China’s economic boom has launched the country’s corporate traveler to the very top of global business travel statistics. China dominates both regional and international statistics, with Japan and South Korea as traditional high-spenders in the region.

However, other players in the Asia-Pacific market, like India and Indonesia are making an appearance in the global business travel sector by growing at an incredible rate.

In 2014, India’s business travel market was worth $26 billion. Today it is forecast to reach $46 billion. As a country where economic activity is dominated by consumption, India’s business travel growth rate of 11.3 % is oriented more towards domestic than international.

On the other hand, Indonesia, which reported $17 billion in business travel spending in 2017, is a more trade-oriented country. This means that the country’s business-travel spending growth rate of 8.7% is focused on the international market rather than the domestic.

Europe is right behind China, holding 24% of total global business travel spending.

(Global Business Travel Association) (Blue Swan Daily)

Europe is home to some of the largest corporations in the world that rank the continent as second on a global scale when it comes to business travel spending. The largest part of this spending is attributed to developed Western European countries like Germany, the UK, and France.

In fact, a total of $364 billion in business travel spending was reported in Europe in 2017, with Western Europe claiming as much as $310 billion.

Traditional industrial powerhouses like Germany rated their business travel spending at about $72.07 billion in 2017, confirming the country’s unprecedented status in worldwide trade. France is also a powerhouse - the country spent more than $40 billion in 2016.

Spain spends around $20 billion in business travel, ranking 13th on the Global Business Travel Association’s list of the largest travel markets.

While most Western European economies have reported steady growth in business travel spending during the last few years, the United Kingdom has shown a 0.7% decline in 2017, largely due to the Brexit political crisis.

Further Reading

• The Most Powerful Passports Ranked

Frequently Asked Questions

1. how often do people travel for business.

An estimated 1.3 million business trips occur in the United States on a daily basis – 463 million trips per year in the United States alone.

2. How many business travelers fly each year?

Around 12% of the total number of flights is reserved by business travelers. In 2017 the US Department of Transportation reported that US airlines and foreign airlines serving the United States hosted 965 million domestic and international scheduled service passengers.

3. What percent of airline travel is for business?

Although business travelers make up only 12% in numbers, they are every airline’s most valuable customer. The data implies that in some cases, airlines earn as much as 75% of their total revenue of trips booked by business travelers of all sorts.

4. Do airlines charge business travelers more?

No. However, the circumstances of a typical business traveler affect the price of a plane ticket. Factors that usually affect the cost of flying for a business traveler are: flying on short notice, arranging a flight at a desirable time of day, and flying to a popular destination.

I have always thought of myself as a writer, but I began my career as a data operator with a large fintech firm. This position proved invaluable for learning how banks and other financial institutions operate. Daily correspondence with banking experts gave me insight into the systems and policies that power the economy. When I got the chance to translate my experience into words, I gladly joined the smart, enthusiastic Fortunly team.

More from blog

What is the future of travel?

All aboard! After the pandemic upended life and leisure as we know it, travel is roaring back. The industry is set to make a full recovery by the end of 2024, after losing 75 percent of its value in 2020. Much of this has been so-called “revenge travel,” or people embarking on international or bucket list trips that were delayed by the pandemic. But domestic travel is recovering quickly too and is set to represent 70 percent of travel spending by 2030.

Get to know and directly engage with senior McKinsey experts on travel and tourism

Margaux Constantin is a partner in McKinsey’s Dubai office, Matteo Pacca is a senior partner in the Paris office, and Vik Krishnan is a senior partner in the Bay Area office.

We’ve done a deep dive into the latest travel trends and how industry players can adjust accordingly in The state of travel and hospitality 2024 report. Check out the highlights below, as well as McKinsey’s insights on AI in travel, mass tourism, and much more.

Learn more about McKinsey’s Travel, Logistics, and Infrastructure Practice .

Who are today’s travelers, and what do they want?

In February and March 2024, McKinsey surveyed  more than 5,000 people in China, Germany, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the United Kingdom, and the United States who had taken at least one leisure trip in the past two years. Here are six highlights from the results of that survey:

• Travel is a top priority, especially for younger generations. Sixty-six percent of travelers we surveyed said they are more interested in travel now than before the COVID-19 pandemic. And millennials and Gen Zers  are traveling more and spending a higher share of their income on travel than their older counterparts.
• Younger travelers are keen to travel abroad. Gen Zers and millennials who responded to our survey are planning nearly an equal number of international and domestic trips in 2024. Older generations are planning to take twice as many domestic trips.
• Baby boomers are willing to spend if they see value. Baby boomers still account for 20 percent of overall travel spending. They are willing to spend on comforts such as nonstop flights. On the other hand, they are more willing to forego experiences to save money while traveling, unlike Gen Zers who will cut all other expense categories before they trim experiences.
• Travel is a collective story, with destinations as the backdrop. Travelers both want to hear other travelers’ stories and share their own. Ninety-two percent of younger travelers were inspired by social media in some shape or form for their last trip.
• What travelers want depends on where they’re from. Sixty-nine percent of Chinese respondents said they plan to visit a famous sight on their next trip, versus the 20 percent of European and North American travelers who said the same. Respondents living in the UAE also favor iconic destinations, as well as shopping and outdoor activities.

Learn more about McKinsey’s  Travel, Logistics, and Infrastructure Practice .

What are the top three travel industry trends today?

Travel is back, but traveler flows are shifting. McKinsey has isolated three major themes for industry stakeholders to consider as they look ahead.

• The bulk of travel spending is close to home. Seventy-five percent of travel spend is domestic. The United States is currently the world’s largest domestic travel market, but China is set to overtake it in the coming years. Stakeholders should make sure they capture the full potential of domestic travelers before turning their attention abroad.
• New markets such as India, Southeast Asia, and Eastern Europe are growing sources of outbound tourism. Indians’ travel spending is expected to grow 9 percent per year between now and 2030; annual growth projections for Southeast Asians and Eastern Europeans are both around 7 percent.
• Unexpected destinations are finding new ways to lure travelers and establish themselves alongside enduring favorites. Rwanda, for example, has capitalized on sustainable tourism by limiting gorilla trekking permits and directing revenue toward conservation.

Looking for direct answers to other complex questions?

For a more in-depth look at these trends, check out McKinsey’s State of travel and hospitality 2024   report .

How will AI change how people travel?

In the 1950s, the introduction of the jet engine dramatically reduced travel times, changing the way people traveled forever. Now AI is upending the industry  in a similarly fundamental way. Industry players down to individual travelers are using advances in generative AI (gen AI) , machine learning , and deep learning  to reimagine what it means to plan, book, and experience travel. “It’s quite clear,” says McKinsey partner Vik Krishnan , “that gen AI significantly eases  the process of travel discovery.”

For travel companies, the task now is to rethink how they interact with customers, develop products and services, and manage operations in the age of AI. According to estimates by McKinsey Digital, companies that holistically address digital and analytics opportunities have the potential to see an earnings improvement of up to 25 percent .

McKinsey and Skift Research interviewed executives from 17 companies across five types of travel business. Here are three key findings on how travel companies can reckon with emerging technologies, drawn from the resulting report The promise of travel in the age of AI :

• Segmentation. Companies can use AI to create hyperspecific customer segments to guide how they interact with and serve customers. Segmentation can be based on a single macro characteristic (such as business versus leisure), or it can be so specific as to relate to just one customer.
• Surprise and delight. In the travel context, gen AI could take the form of digital assistants that interact with customers throughout their journeys, providing personalized trip itineraries and tailored recommendations and helping to resolve unexpected disruptions.
• Equipping workers better. AI tools can free up frontline workers’ time, allowing them to focus more on personal customer interactions. These tools can also shorten the training time for new hires and quickly upskill  the existing workforce.

AI is important, yes. But, according to Ella Alkalay Schreiber, general manager (GM) of fintech at Hopper, “The actual challenge is to understand the data, ask the right questions, read prediction versus actual, and do this in a timely manner. The actual challenge is the human thinking, the common sense .”

How is mass tourism changing travel?

More people are traveling than ever before. The most visited destinations are experiencing more concentrated flows of tourists ; 80 percent of travelers visit just 10 percent of the world’s tourist destinations. Mass tourism can encumber infrastructure, frustrate locals, and even harm the attractions that visitors came to see in the first place.

Tourism stakeholders can collectively look for better ways to handle visitor flows before they become overwhelming. Destinations should remain alert to early warning signs about high tourism concentration and work to maximize the benefits of tourism, while minimizing its negative impacts.

Destinations should remain alert to early warning signs about high tourism concentration and work to maximize the benefits of tourism, while minimizing its negative impacts.

For one thing, destinations should understand their carrying capacity of tourists—that means the specific number of visitors a destination can accommodate before harm is caused to its physical, economic, or sociocultural environment. Shutting down tourism once the carrying capacity is reached isn’t always possible—or advisable. Rather, destinations should focus on increasing carrying capacity to enable more growth.

Next, destinations should assess their readiness to handle mass tourism and choose funding sources and mechanisms that can address its impacts. Implementing permitting systems for individual attractions can help manage capacity and mitigate harm. Proceeds from tourism can be reinvested into local communities to ensure that residents are not solely responsible for repairing the wear and tear caused by visitors.

After risks and funding sources have been identified, destinations can prepare for growing tourist volumes in the following ways:

• Build and equip a tourism-ready workforce to deliver positive tourism experiences.
• Use data (gathered from governments, businesses, social media platforms, and other sources) to manage visitor flows.
• Be deliberate about which tourist segments to attract (business travelers, sports fans, party groups, et cetera), and tailor offerings and communications accordingly.
• Distribute visitor footfall across different areas, nudging tourists to visit less-trafficked locations, and during different times, promoting off-season travel.
• Be prepared for sudden, unexpected fluctuations triggered by viral social media and cultural trends.
• Preserve cultural and natural heritage. Engage locals, especially indigenous people, to find the balance between preservation and tourism.

How can the travel sector accelerate the net-zero transition?

Global warming is getting worse, and the travel sector contributes up to 11 percent of total carbon emissions. Many consumers are aware that travel is part of the problem, but they’re reticent to give up their trips: travel activity is expected to soar by 85 percent  from 2016 to 2030. Instead, they’re increasing pressure on companies in the travel sector to achieve net zero . It’s a tall order: the range of decarbonization technologies in the market is limited, and what’s available is expensive.

But decarbonization doesn’t have to be a loss-leading proposition. Here are four steps  travel companies can take toward decarbonization that can potentially create value:

• Identify and sequence decarbonization initiatives. Awareness of decarbonization levers is one thing; implementation is quite another. One useful tool to help develop an implementation plan is the marginal abatement cost curve pathway framework, which provides a cost-benefit analysis of individual decarbonization levers and phasing plans.
• Partner to accelerate decarbonization of business travel. Many organizations will reduce their business travel, which accounts for 30 percent of all travel spend. This represents an opportunity for travel companies to partner with corporate clients on decarbonization. Travel companies can support their partners in achieving their decarbonization goals by nudging corporate users to make more sustainable choices, while making reservations and providing data to help partners track their emissions.
• Close the ‘say–do’ gap among leisure travelers. One McKinsey survey indicates that 40 percent of travelers globally say they are willing to pay at least 2 percent more for carbon-neutral flights. But Skift’s latest consumer survey reveals that only 14 percent  of travelers said they actually paid more for sustainable travel options. Travel companies can help close this gap by making sustainable options more visible during booking and using behavioral science to encourage travelers to make sustainable purchases.
• Build new sustainable travel options for the future. The travel sector can proactively pioneer sustainable new products and services. Green business building will require companies to create special initiatives, led by teams empowered to experiment without the pressure of being immediately profitable.

What’s the future of air travel?

Air travel is becoming more seasonal, as leisure travel’s increasing share of the market creates more pronounced summer peaks. Airlines have responded by shifting their schedules to operate more routes at greater frequency during peak periods. But airlines have run into turbulence when adjusting to the new reality. Meeting summer demand means buying more aircraft and hiring more crew; come winter, these resources go unutilized, which lowers productivity . But when airlines don’t run more flights in the summer, they leave a lot of money on the table.

How can airlines respond to seasonality? Here are three approaches :

• Mitigate winter weakness by employing conventional pricing and revenue management techniques, as well as creative pricing approaches (including, for example, monitoring and quickly seizing on sudden travel demand spikes, such as those created by a period of unexpectedly sunny weather).
• Adapt to seasonality by moving crew training sessions to off-peak periods, encouraging employee holiday taking during trough months, and offering workers seasonal contracts. Airlines can also explore outsourcing of crew, aircraft, maintenance, and even insurance.
• Leverage summer strengths, ensuring that commercial contracts reflect summer’s higher margins.

How is the luxury travel space evolving?

Quickly. Luxury travelers are not who you might expect: many are under the age of 60 and not necessarily from Europe or the United States. Perhaps even more surprisingly, they are not all millionaires: 35 percent of luxury-travel spending is by travelers with net worths between $100,000 and $1 million. Members of this group are known as aspirational luxury travelers, and they have their own set of preferences. They might be willing to spend big on one aspect of their trip—a special meal or a single flight upgrade—but not on every travel component. They prefer visibly branded luxury and pay close attention to loyalty program points and benefits .

The luxury-hospitality space is projected to grow faster than any other segment, at 6 percent per year  through 2025. And competition for luxury hotels is intensifying too: customers now have the option of renting luxurious villas with staff, or booking nonluxury hotels with luxury accoutrements such as rainfall showerheads and mattress toppers.

Another critical evolution is that the modern consumer, in the luxury space and elsewhere, values experiences over tangible things (exhibit).

Luxury properties may see more return from investing in a culture of excellence—powered by staff who anticipate customer needs, exceed expectations, create cherished memories, and make it all feel seamless—than in marble floors and gold-plated bath fixtures. Here are a few ways luxury properties can foster a culture of excellence :

• Leaders should assume the role of chief culture officer. GMs of luxury properties should lead by example to help nurture a healthy and happy staff culture and listen and respond to staff concerns.
• Hire for personalities, not resumes. “You can teach someone how to set a table,” said one GM we interviewed, “but you can’t teach a positive disposition.”
• Celebrate and reward employees. Best-in-class service is about treating customers with generosity and care. Leaders in the service sector can model this behavior by treating employees similarly.
• Create a truly distinctive customer experience . McKinsey research has shown that the top factor influencing customer loyalty in the lodging sector is “an experience worth paying more for”—not the product. Train staff to focus on tiny details as well as major needs to deliver true personalization.

What’s the latest in travel loyalty programs?

Loyalty programs are big business . They’ve evolved past being simply ways to boost sales or strengthen customer relationships; now, for many travel companies, they are profit centers in their own right. One major development was that travel companies realized they could sell loyalty points in bulk to corporate partners, who in turn offered the points to their customers as rewards. In 2019, United’s MileagePlus loyalty program sold $3.8 billion worth of miles to third parties, which accounted for 12 percent of the airline’s total revenue for that year. In 2022, American Airlines’ loyalty program brought in $3.1 billion in revenue, and Marriott’s brought in $2.7 billion.

But as this transition has happened, travel players have shifted focus away from the original purpose of these programs. Travel companies are seeing these loyalty programs primarily as revenue generators, rather than ways to improve customer experiences . As a result, loyalty program members have become increasingly disloyal. Recent loyalty surveys conducted by McKinsey revealed a steep decline in the likelihood that a customer would recommend airline, hotel, and cruise line loyalty programs to a friend. The same surveys also found that airline loyalty programs are driving fewer customer behavior changes than they used to.

So how can travel brands win customers’ loyalty back? Here are three steps to consider:

• Put experience at the core of loyalty programs. According to our 2023 McKinsey Travel Loyalty Survey , American respondents said they feel more loyal to Amazon than to the top six travel players combined, despite the absence of any traditional loyalty program. One of the reasons for Amazon’s success may be the frictionless experience it provides customers. Companies should strive to design loyalty programs around experiential benefits that make travelers feel special and seamlessly integrate customer experiences between desktop, mobile, and physical locations.
• Use data to offer personalization  to members. Travel brands have had access to customer data for a long time. But many have yet to deploy it for maximum value. Companies can use personalization to tailor both experiences and offers for loyalty members; our research has shown that 78 percent  of consumers are more likely to make a repeat purchase when offered a personalized experience.
• Rethink partnerships. Traditionally, travel companies have partnered with banks to offer cobranded credit cards. But many credit card brands now offer their own, self-branded travel rewards ecosystems. These types of partnerships may have diminishing returns in the future. When rethinking partnerships, travel brands should seek to build richer connections with customers, while boosting engagement. Uber’s partnership with Marriott, for example, gives users the option to link the brands’ loyalty programs, tapping into two large customer bases and providing more convenient travel experiences.

In a changing travel ecosystem, travel brands will need to ask themselves some hard questions if they want to earn back their customers’ loyalty.

Learn more about McKinsey’s Travel, Logistics, and Infrastructure Practice . And check out travel-related job opportunities if you’re interested in working at McKinsey.

Articles referenced include:

• “ Updating perceptions about today’s luxury traveler ,” May 29, 2024, Caroline Tufft , Margaux Constantin , Matteo Pacca , and Ryan Mann
• “ The way we travel now ,” May 29, 2024, Caroline Tufft , Margaux Constantin , Matteo Pacca , and Ryan Mann
• “ Destination readiness: Preparing for the tourist flows of tomorrow ,” May 29, 2024, Caroline Tufft , Margaux Constantin , Matteo Pacca , and Ryan Mann
• “ How the world’s best hotels deliver exceptional customer experience ,” March 18, 2024, Ryan Mann , Ellen Scully, Matthew Straus, and Jillian Tellez Holub
• “ How airlines can handle busier summers—and comparatively quiet winters ,” January 8, 2024, Jaap Bouwer, Ludwig Hausmann , Nina Lind , Christophe Verstreken, and Stavros Xanthopoulos
• “ Travel invented loyalty as we know it. Now it’s time for reinvention. ,” November 15, 2023, Lidiya Chapple, Clay Cowan, Ellen Scully, and Jillian Tellez Holub
• “ What AI means for travel—now and in the future ,” November 2, 2023, Alex Cosmas  and Vik Krishnan
• “ The promise of travel in the age of AI ,” September 27, 2023, Susann Almasi, Alex Cosmas , Sam Cowan, and Ben Ellencweig
• “ The future of tourism: Bridging the labor gap enhancing customer experience ,” August 1, 2023, Urs Binggeli, Zi Chen, Steffen Köpke, and Jackey Yu
• “ Hotels in the 2030s: Perspectives from Accor’s C-suite ,” July 27, 2023, Aurélia Bettati
• “ Tourism in the metaverse: Can travel go virtual? ,” May 4, 2023, Margaux Constantin , Giuseppe Genovese, Kashiff Munawar, and Rebecca Stone
• “ Three innovations to solve hotel staffing shortages ,” April 3, 2023, Ryan Mann , Esteban Ramirez, and Matthew Straus
• “ Accelerating the transition to net-zero travel ,” September 20, 2022, Danielle Bozarth , Olivier Cheret, Vik Krishnan , Mackenzie Murphy, and Jules Seeley
• “ The six secrets of profitable airlines ,” June 28, 2022, Jaap Bouwer, Alex Dichter , Vik Krishnan , and Steve Saxon
• “ How to ‘ACE’ hospitality recruitment ,” June 23, 2022, Margaux Constantin , Steffen Köpke, and Joost Krämer
• “ Opportunities for industry leaders as new travelers take to the skies ,” April 5, 2022, Mishal Ahmad, Frederik Franz, Tomas Nauclér, and Daniel Riefer
• “ Rebooting customer experience to bring back the magic of travel ,” September 21, 2021, Vik Krishnan , Kevin Neher, Maurice Obeid , Ellen Scully, and Jules Seeley

Want to know more about the future of travel?

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Business Travel Facts & Statistics To Be Aware Of

Business travel facts & statistics might sound like some fun trivia, but they could actually change how you handle your business trips..

Business travel facts & statistics might sound like some fun trivia, but they could actually change how you handle your business trips! Here’s some facts you should be aware of:

Working Away In The UK Facts

• The UK airport with the best customer score is Liverpool John Lennon. The worst was Manchester, T1 & T3. (Which.co.uk)
• Blackpool has the most B&Bs in the UK, with 862. (Direct Line For Business, 2017)
• Bradford is the cheapest place to stay. (The Independent, 2015)
• Belfast is the most expensive major UK city to stay, based on the cheapest price possible of a standard hotel room. Price Comparison: What is the cheapest hotel room found in each UK city?
• Scotland has the shortest commercial flight, between Westray & Papa Westray. (Business Insider)
• Only 6% of UK residents surveyed (4,028 respondents) had been on more than 10 business trips in 2023. (Statista)

The Company

• 60% of corporate travellers say they don’t understand the need for a company travel policy. (TravelPerk, 2019)
• 52% of employees say that their company’s travel policy only moderately aligns with their company culture. (Medium, 2017)
• 79% of Business Travel Managers say that partnering with a travel management company leads to higher savings. (Study by Egencia)

International Business Travel Facts

• When it comes to business travel, businesses spend more on meals than flights or accommodation. (Certify)
• 54% of business travellers want real-time notifications. (International Air Transport Association, 2019)
• The most expensive business travel location in Asia is Hong Kong, with an average cost of $515 per day. (ECA International, 2019)
• The average business travel budget consists of money for lodging (34%), airfare (27%), meals (20%), and car rentals (19%). (Travel Pulse, 2020)
• Zurich, Switzerland is the most expensive major city in the world (of those included in the study) to take a taxi. (Deutsche Bank Research)
• India has the cheapest taxis out of major worldwide cities, as Bangalore, Mumbai, and New Delhi top the list for cheapest. (Deutsche Bank Research)
• The ideal booking window is 21 to 121 days in advance of your flight. The fares are statistically the lowest during this time. (CheapAir, 2018)
• The most costly airports based on lunch, taxi, executive lounge, and parking expenses are London Stansted (£608.29), Amsterdam (£567.35), and London Gatwick (£520.53). (FairFX Blog, 2018)
• The airports that give business travellers the most value for their money based on lunch, taxi, executive lounge, and parking expenses are Barcelona (£236.36), Belfast International (£228.28), and Beijing (£170.03). (FairFX Blog, 2018)
• The most common issues that business travellers face are flight delays (65.7%), flight cancellations (31.9%), and paying for travel expenses with a personal credit card (30.5%). These were followed by their company’s preferred booking platform not having the best booking rates (29.3%) and lack of support in resolving issues while travelling (23%). (Skift + TripActions Business Travel Survey, 2020)

What Can I Do With This Info?

The first thing to do is determine what is relevant to your business. For example, if you regularly fly out of Manchester, maybe consider flying from Liverpool instead. If your team is ignoring your travel policy, how can you make it easier to follow? It’s also worth educating them on why it’s important. If this suggests that you put in your booking request for flights too late to get the best price, then make a point of requesting all flights at least 21 days in advance. If you’re planning a trip to Zurich, it might be best to consider other forms of getting around the city with the taxis being so expensive.

If you’ve never booked through Rapid Travel Group before, we’ll help you create a detailed travel policy when you book a virtual appointment with us. When you make a booking request, we can often advise on the specific circumstances.

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Oman to host 2nd Arab forum on tourism statistics

MUSCAT: The Sultanate of Oman will host the Second Arab Forum for Tourism Statistics in October 2024, organised by the National Centre for Statistics and Information in collaboration with the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism and the League of Arab States. The event will run from October 14 to 16, aiming to enhance collaboration among Arab nations in tourism data collection and analysis.

The forum coincides with the selection of Sur as the Arab Tourism Capital for 2024, further boosting Oman's tourism profile.

Dr Khalifa bin Abdullah al Barwani, CEO of the National Centre, emphasised that the event is a key opportunity to improve tourism statistics across the Arab world. He noted that accurate tourism data is crucial for understanding visitor behaviour, enabling governments and investors to make informed decisions to boost tourism.

The forum will gather experts from across the globe, as well as representatives from regional and international organisations, to discuss challenges, share knowledge, and present new trends in tourism statistics. This will provide vital insights into improving infrastructure and services, as well as fostering collaboration between participating countries. — ONA

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Lifestyle Boutique Cabin Accommodation Business w/ Managers Home for Sale Tiaro

Off Market Group is pleased to present a boutique cabin accommodation business in Tiaro, QLD, featuring six renovated cabins, a spacious four-bedroom home, and strong 88% occupancy. Ideal for lifestyle seekers, this freehold opportunity offers income potential and a prime location near Hervey Bay and Noosa.

Highlighted Features: Six superbly renovated cabins onsite this large property and room to extend for a further two cabins. Huge four bedroom brick home with sweeping verandahs, 2 x bathrooms, 2 x kitchens, 2 x lounge areas, self contained office area and storage room. Main residence has a lock up facility and can utilised with 2 x bedroom, 1 x kitchen, 1 x bathroom to generate extra income such as Air BNB, salon/spa business, accomodation overflow. Beautiful spa/pool area with guest kitchen hut including full size cooker, fridge, modern laundry, outdoor table & chairs to enjoy. Nicely presented landscaped gardens with huge utility shed for vehicles and equipment. Situated 45 mins to Hervey Bay in the North and 1.5hrs to Noosa Heads in the South. Strong occupancy rate of around 88% and growing. Google rating of 4.7/5 Easy to run accomodation business that provides a work / lifestyle balance. Would suit the budding operator, family looking for a lifestyle, maintain an outside job also or experienced accomodation operators.

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• Main drivers for visiting a country by people worldwide 2023
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