The New Age of Business Travel
As constraints throughout the world loosen, business travel is once again on the rise. The stats don’t lie: according to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), passenger numbers reached 47 percent of pre-Covid 19 levels in December 2021, a huge increase from October 2021 (17 percent), with numbers continuing to rise to 50 percent in January 2022.
The following patterns were observed in a recent survey of corporate travelers who work for organizations with fewer than 1000 employees:
1- High Demand
The research shows that more than 90% of responders are willing to travel for business. However, the airport experience speaks for itself, with limited flight numbers and enhance public health measures affecting travelers who expect a smooth journey business travel is still not where they expected it to be. The surge in demand will require smart management to guarantee that the company’s bottom line is unaffected by the inevitable increase in travel expenditures.
2- Dynamic Travel
According to the survey, travelers’ demand for flexibility trumped their demand for vaccinations. More than two-thirds of respondents want their firm to relax limits to allow for more dynamic policies, if not a return to pre-Covid-19 travel policies
In today’s increasingly mobile world, software that allows employees to make adjustments on their devices from anywhere while still being captured and preserved for planning purposes is critical.
Advancement in technology has enabled easy access to complex tools and resources needed by staff. Updating reservations on the go, sharing itineraries, and finding real-time information on delays and travel disruptions are available on mobile which is a life-saver for business travelers.
3- Health and Wellness should be a priority
Over half (53 percent) of travellers surveyed said they would make changes if their company doesn’t provide measures to protect their health and safety. This might include everything from providing advice and insights on what to expect at the airport to providing information about COVID-19 protocols in the towns and countries where teams are traveling.
Making this extra effort will go a long way toward retaining employees interested in traveling for your company, especially in this present atmosphere of talent shortages.
4- Efficiency and Sustainability
The pandemic has brought attention to the environmental impact of travel, which has fueled public pressure to take actions to lessen our global footprint. Unsurprisingly, 60% of those polled expect to implement adjustments that will improve travel sustainability.
Businesses can reduce their carbon footprint by researching the carbon cost of various travel options or even purchasing carbon offsets when arranging and managing business travel. These efforts can then be easily converted into marketable KPIs that can be used to promote a company’s environmental accomplishments.
