From United Kingdom at VietnamBusiness destinations are at last relaxing the regulations that have held back international mobility for two long years. And clearly, this return to normality is giving business travellers wings. Freed from the shackles of regulation, freed from the procedures of quarantinesand PCR tests As the number of mobile workers increases, mobile professionals are - in part - making up for lost time. Figures published on Thursday by CWT confirms a fairly logical trend, but one that is always worth deciphering in these times of crisis...
the highest levels of business travel since the start of the pandemic
" We are seeing the highest levels of business travel since the start of the pandemic and, although the health and the security of travellers must always remain the number one priority, removing barriers and uncertainty will be essential to achieve a full resumption "says Michelle McKinney Frymire, CEO of CWT. She adds: " This will help to stimulate economic growth, and it is encouraging to see the potential benefits of some countries relaxing these restrictions. ".
The TMC has chosen three case studies to support its arguments: the United Kingdom, l'India and the Norway. Three markets in which it compared the number of international travel before and after the measures were relaxed. And in all three cases, the increases are very marked indeed, with growth rates sometimes in three figures, as in the United Kingdom. Since the announcement in January of the abolition of PCR tests for vaccinated travellers, effective mid-February, the weekly bookings for international travel jumped by 115%. Better still: in the opposite direction, for foreign travellers wishing to travel within the UK, the increase would reach 169% compared with the week before the announcement.
Despite its proximity, the French market was not the main contributor to this performance. British business travellers went primarily to the United States, as well as to Germany, Spain, Ireland and the Netherlands. As for the foreign travellers making the most trips to the UK since the easing, the American, German, Swiss, Dutch and French markets are this time cited by CWT.
Visit IndiaAccording to data collected by the business travel agency, the trend is also very marked. Bookings by foreign professionals have risen by 139% following the announcement in mid-February that the tests had been completed, and that isolation had been lifted. International bookings by Indian travellers also rose significantly (+64%). Here too, the United States is the key market, in both directions. Unsurprisingly, the UK is also present, in both directions. It is worth noting that the French market contributed significantly to the increase in bookings for the Indian market.
As for the Norwegian marketHowever, it stands out for both its more moderate growth rates (+72% and +67%), and the fact that they are inverted compared with the other two cases studied: outbound bookings have grown more than inbound bookings. Also, with the exception of the US market, business travel to and from Norway is made up of European destinations.
