Little by little, the extraordinary situation caused by the health crisis seems to be beginning to stabilise and with it, the return of business travel, a sector which, after a long period of pause, is once again picking up speed and gaining impulse.

Almost a quarter of the world’s travellers do so for work purposes, accounting for a total of 280 million trips between meetings, congresses and conventions or incentive trips. Therefore, business travel is undoubtedly a key sector for the recovery of tourism.

In the following lines, from Consultia Business Travel, as a company specialising in the comprehensive management of business travel, we want to show you how the sector is recovering, how business travel is back and why companies are once again betting on the travel of their workers.

How it has changed the way we organise business travel

Business travel is back with a vengeance after almost two years of being limited not only in terms of numbers, but also in terms of conditions.

It is undeniable that, in this period of time, videoconferencing has been a great help. However, it is also clear that face-to-face meetings bring with them a series of advantages that cannot be perceived if there is a camera involved.

According to experts, in the last few months, the volume of business trips made before the pandemic has recovered by 75 %, with a forecast of 80 % by the end of the year, reaching a full recovery in the first months of 2023.  Moreover, it is estimated that by 2024 the figures could be even higher if growth continues.

In this sense, a company’s priorities when managing its business travel today are very different from those that existed before the pandemic. Factors such as security, efficiency, the need to align travel with the company’s strategy, concern for sustainability, new travel policies and the importance of good service all come to the fore and are much more in demand by companies when it comes to business travel.

Importance of business travel investment analysis

On the other hand, carrying out an analysis of the investment that is spent on each business trip is fundamental, as it will allow you to regulate and control the budget at all times.

At Consultia Business Travel we are very aware of the existence of this need on the part of companies. Therefore, to cover this service we have Destinux, a solution that adds value to organisations by offering in a single service software a more efficient management of business trips and expenses.

Destinux makes the digitalization of business trips possible, without forgetting a human and close treatment, since the same technological solution offers the service of a Personal Travel Assistant, in charge of ensuring the safety of travellers, accompanying them throughout the entire contracting process, before and after the trip.

In addition, with the aim of knowing the ROI of corporate travel, Destinux incorporates the innovative functionality Travel Management Dashboard (TMD), a tool that makes it possible to have greater control over the investment that companies allocate to their corporate travel. Among the functions of Destinux’s TMD, the following stand out:

  • Align travel with the company’s objectives for the fiscal year.
  • Monitor compliance with purchasing policies in real time.
  • Make decisions at any time, with real-time information and act on deviations.

 

In short, Destinux is a response to this change that requires appropriate technological solutions to meet new needs from a perspective of efficiency, strategic vision and profitability, but without losing the personalised human touch.

In this way, Destinux is designed to automatize, digitalize and integrate all travel management processes, including those related to expenses and per diems, eliminating management fees. In addition, a specialised manager is assigned to advise, plan, accompany and ensure the safety of travellers. And, in order to reflect and have complete control of travel data and expenses, it prepares annual budgets, allowing for historical data and facilitating the task of preparing the following year’s budgets.

Back to normal for international business trips

Along with the recovery of business travel comes the return of international destinations.

The return to normality of International Business Travel is once again taking centre stage in companies. Of course, as is logical, the health crisis has brought with it some changes, the most obvious of which is the need to increase security for business travellers.

This new situation implies a change in the decisions to be taken when organising an international business trip and the search for solutions to accompany and protect travellers.

Agencies specialized in the organisation of international business trips must be able to ensure complete communication, attention and human treatment throughout the trip for the complete satisfaction of their employees and the correct development of the trip.

Changes in corporate travel policies

As far as international business travel is concerned, the future holds interesting challenges in this area.

In addition to the need to provide more dynamic business travel solutions, factors related to new corporate travel policies come into play when dealing with international business travel arrangements.

According to the GBTA Global Business Travel Association survey, 88% of suppliers and TMCs report that their bookings and spend on international travel arrangements have increased, claiming that their bookings are now at 56% of the pre-pandemic level.

In addition, of the companies that cancelled or suspended most or all travel to a specific region or country, 75% plan to resume domestic travel, and 52% international travel, in the next quarter.

At Consultia Business Travel we are looking forward to this promising future of the international business travel sector, developing solutions adapted to current needs. Contact us!