With business travel and in-person meetings once again on the rise,
companies need to revisit about their travel policies, urges Global
Business Travel Association (GBTA), based on a recent quantitative
survey of international corporate travel managers.
The study finds that travel managers emerging from the pandemic are
more concerned about a few key considerations: traveller safety, policy
compliance, and sustainability. Compared to two years ago, 75% of
employers are more focused on traveller safety/well-being, 55% are more
focused on sustainability/social responsibility, and 53% are more
focused on travel policy compliance/enforcement.
The use of rideshare platforms
Half of travel
programmes (49%) currently have a business account with a rideshare
platform and one-third (35%) would consider it. The most important
features cited by travel managers were reporting (76%), integration with
expense platforms (69%), and ability to apply company policies (62%).
Making sustainability a priority
An overwhelming
majority (84%) say sustainability is significant to their company’s
travel programme, with 50% saying it is very or extremely important.
But even when companies state that sustainability is a priority, not
all are willing to incur significant additional costs. Only 6% of
respondents say their company currently allows employees to spend more
on sustainable travel options, and an additional one-quarter (26%) are
considering allowing employees to spend more.
Bleisure is better
Ninety percent of respondents
say employees are more (30%) or equally as interested (60%) in
"bleisure" travel, compared to pre-pandemic times. And although 36% say
their company’s travel policy expressly allows bleisure trips, 49% their
policy does not, but employees are often allowed to take these trips in
practice.
Inflation’s impact on meals
Meal
prices are rising because of inflation. While almost one-third of
respondents (29%) say their company has raised its spending limit or per
diem for meals, a larger number (56%) say these are unchanged from last
fiscal or calendar year.
Food delivery is here to stay
More than half
(55%) of travel managers say their company’s employees use food delivery
apps on business trips. Most travel programmes (52%) already have or
would consider having a business account with a food delivery platform.
Features important to travel managers are integration with expense
software (74%), reporting (72%), ability to order group meals (66%), and
ability to apply company policies (64%).