A study (GBTA Business Travel Industry Outlook Poll) identifies three distinct scenarios based on how key factors interact, outlining potential developments and challenges for the sector in the coming decades. 

Baseline Scenario 

This scenario foresees moderate growth in business travel, with companies prioritizing essential trips while leveraging technology to optimize remote interactions. 

Sustainability will play a crucial role, with direct flights, fuel-efficient aircraft, eco-friendly destinations, and green convention hubs. Automation and AI will streamline travel management, while virtual reality (VR) adoption will be gradual. Travel to emerging markets will increase, supported by remote work solutions. 

Growth Scenario 

In this scenario, business travel will expand significantly, with 22% of the global workforce engaged in travel. Companies will prioritize sustainability, adopting Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) and direct flights. Technologies such as AI, VR, and automation will enhance the travel experience. Emerging markets, particularly in Africa and Asia, will drive growth, while geopolitical stability will encourage greater international cooperation. 

Decline Scenario 

Here, business travel growth will be limited, with companies focusing only on essential trips. The adoption of SAF will progress slowly, and automation and other technologies will reduce the need for administrative and maintenance-related travel. An aging population and the rise of remote work will lead to fewer trips. Geopolitical uncertainties and restrictive regulations will increase the cost of international travel. 

Strategic Adaptation for the Future 

Given these three possible scenarios, it is imperative for companies to develop flexible, forward-thinking strategies to navigate the future of business travel. 

Industry leaders must maintain a long-term vision, plan their activities strategically, adopt a flexible approach, and foster innovation to anticipate and adapt to sector changes—regardless of which scenario unfolds. 

Key Actions Identified by GBTA:

• Data Collection, Analysis, and Management: Leverage AI to gather and analyze travel data, optimizing corporate policies. 

• Strategic Partnerships: Strengthen collaboration between travel service providers and companies to ensure integrated and flexible solutions. 

• Employee Well-being and Safety: Implement flexible travel policies, offering wellness programs and psychological support for travelers. 

• Technology Development: Invest in AI, automation, virtual, and augmented reality to enhance the traveler experience and improve efficiency. 

• Sustainability Initiatives: Adopt eco-friendly policies, from selecting sustainable suppliers to reducing emissions, to stay competitive and environmentally responsible. 

At Twissen, we observe that, regardless of which scenario materializes, sustainability remains a core priority, shaping strategic considerations around competitiveness, innovation, and—most importantly—planetary well-being. 

Giorgia Sartorato

L'articolo Business Travel: Trend Analysis and Future Forecast Pt.2 proviene da Twissen.

The report highlights key trends: 

 Sustainability as a new priority 

• Companies are integrating sustainable travel policies, favoring eco-friendly destinations like Amsterdam and Copenhagen.
• Sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) and environmental impact scores will influence corporate bookings.
• Rail and electric transport are increasingly replacing short-haul flights, as seen in France. 

Technology as an alternative to physical travel 

• AI, virtual reality, and blockchain are transforming travel management.
• Virtual meeting platforms like Google and Logitech enhance remote collaboration, reducing the need for business trips. 
• The adoption of electric aircraft and autonomous vehicles could cut travel time and costs. 

Evolution of work models 

• Companies are revising travel strategies to align with new work trends.
• Corporate retreats and team-building events are becoming more frequent, while training trips are concentrated in centers of excellence.
• The trend is shifting towards fewer but more targeted and extended business trips. 

The influence of geopolitical and demographic dynamics 

• Expansion into emerging markets in Asia and Africa will drive an increase in business travel.
• An aging population in developed countries may lead to fewer corporate trips.
• Companies may limit travel to high-risk areas, instead prioritizing the hiring of local talent. 

At Twissen, we observe business travel is rapidly evolving under the influence of sustainability and technological innovation. Companies must balance reducing their environmental impact while maintaining global connections. The future of the industry will depend on the ability to integrate sustainable and technological solutions to ensure efficiency and productivity.  

Giorgia Sartorato

L'articolo Business Travel: Trend Analysis and Future Forecasts proviene da Twissen.

In a survey published in May 2022, Sabre identified six key emerging trends in the Travel & Tourism sector:

1. The travel volume is returning to a pre-Covid-level. According to 37% of airlines and travel companies involved in the survey, this will happen by the end of 2024.
2. Travel agencies are gaining more and more reliance and acceptance among customers since tourists consider travel as more complex than ever before due to uncertainties regarding safety, rules, and restrictions.
3. The right experience comes before the price. As highlighted in a survey by American Express, 86% of the respondents expect to spend more or the same amount of money compared to a typical year before the pandemic showing an increase in “revenge travel” with the objective of making up for lost time. This trend has also been underlined in a survey conducted by Quantum Metric, which states that around 54% of consumers will spend more on their rebooked trips and one in four (27%) say it will be a significant amount.
4. Business travel is changing face. As already analysed in a previous article, bleisure will rise in the future, with 82% of airline respondents believing that travellers will combine business and leisure more often.
5. Sustainability is becoming a priority both for consumers and the industry itself. Around 87% of the consumers surveyed by Sabre stated that sustainable travel is ‘somewhat important’ or ‘very important’ to them. Also a survey conducted by Northstar Travel Group showed how sustainability consciousness is growing.
6. The pace of change is accelerating and is driven by technology and collaboration.

These latest trends have been highlighted also by Skift, which underlined how travellers will put experience and sustainability at the top of their travel choices.

At Twissen we observed that, with the pandemic, the tourism industry has rapidly changed and is now experiencing a recovery even while facing many challenges. Moreover, tourists’ increasing willingness to travel and the development of new behaviours is obliging travel agencies, airlines and hotels to invest in technology as well as offer more and more tailored experiences.

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L'articolo A report shows 6 emerging travel trends proviene da Twissen.

There is no substitute for a face-to-face meeting. This is proven by the fact that in-person encounters lead to more fruitful business opportunities, where relational and financial impacts are significant, as confirmed by 74% of business travelers. Moreover, an analysis by the San Diego State University underlined how organizations that resume business travel more quickly will probably have a competitive edge over those that do not go back to in-person travel as fast. .

Also bleisure travel, more and more identified as workation trend, is coming back: 53% of business travelers are taking into consideration going on a bleisure trip, where they can blend family, work and fun all in one. Because of remote work, beach and ocean resorts are the most interesting destinations, together with off the beaten track locations. In particular for bleisure tourism, companies working in the travel industry can now capitalize on this trend basing their marketing campaigns on local tourist attractions and events so that business travelers will extend their trip thanks to their presence.

At Twissen, we have observed how the return of business travel brings with it a new travel mindset, dictated by the emerging needs of workers, accustomed to increasingly hybrid meeting modes, and the need to find the best solutions for combining private and work life.

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L'articolo The evolution of business travel and emerging trends in 2022 proviene da Twissen.

Among the various services offered are risk-based products, which allow customers to lock in the price of hotels and flights, together with insurances that guarantee travel reimbursement. Demand for these types of products is therefore growing steadily: around 60% of users of the Hopper app, a free app that allows you to predict price changes for flights and hotels over time, have purchased at least one of these services.

Soon travel companies will be able to offer financial services to their customers. Through new banking technologies, airlines, hotels and agencies will be able to adopt loyalty programmes to encourage customers to use their financial services, i.e. virtual products that companies can incorporate into their services without having to become a regulated entity themselves. For example, travelers can pay a certain amount to lock the price of a flight or hotel reservation, in case the price rises, the traveler pays the locked price, while if it goes down, the traveler pays the new, cheaper price.
The opportunity to enable flexible BNPL (‘buy now, pay later‘) installment payments is also crucial at this time. According to a research by Phocuswire.com, 68% of travelers said that BNPL would encourage them to spend more than usual on travel, as it would give them the ability to make higher value purchases or add more ancillary services. 

In addition, more and more paytech innovations have appeared in recent years that can be exploited to facilitate the use of such technology. One example is tokenization, which allows merchants to encrypt and securely store customer payment information in their systems for future use. In fact, according to a study conducted by Lodging Technology in 2022, 68% of hoteliers want to increase the security of their stored data, and 58% of them have a primary goal of improving the privacy of their customers and employees.

At Twissen, we believe that tourism service providers should increasingly equip themselves with tech tools to move in this scenario by encouraging customers to use financial services embedded in their offerings.These solutions will simplify, digitize and automate the payment of travel, providing customers with greater flexibility and security, which are essential elements for restarting, especially business travel.

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L'articolo Fintech & development opportunities for travel & tourism proviene da Twissen.

For some States of the federation, the Travel Ban was hard to swallow. In California, San Francisco registered a 45% loss of the researches of flights towards the city. The reaction of the Hawaiian Government was determined: in 2016, the Country welcomed 8,9 million tourists which generated a 15 billion euros tourism expense and, according to the Government, the Travel Ban is going to compromise the profitable incomings that the destination has been registering, along with the reputation of a Country perceived as welcoming.

According to Tourism Economics, this year the United States could register a loss of 4,3 million tourists and of 7 billion euros in tourism expense. On the other hand, as reported by Hopper, the researches of flights from Russia to the United States grew by 88%, proving how the Travel & Tourism industry is influenced by the international political dynamics.

The Travel Ban adds further uncertainty to the US tourism that, in the last years, had to face terrorism attacks and internal unrests, such as the Orlando shooting, which also compromised the LGBT segment’s trust towards the Country.

In the Report you can also find about:

• It’s time for Bota!
• Wi-Fi on board, now also in airplanes
• Mega Online Travel Retailers VS Travel Market Platforms
• Indian Summer
• Cruises: innovation through product
• Mobile is the strategy
• Emerging destinations compete for cycling tourists
• Student travel: a profitable target for hotels and OTAs
• Travel Ban adds uncertainty to US tourism

Twissen

L'articolo Travel Ban adds uncertainty to US tourism – Twissen Season Report Winter 2017 proviene da Twissen.