The European aspect of the report 2023 Cvent Travel Managers is based on the testimonies of some 600 managers in six European markets. In addition to France, the UK, Germany, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands were also surveyed. And unsurprisingly, after focusing on the health issue during the crisis, the cost control is back in the spotlight. Rising prices are cited as the main concern of travel managers in their 2023 travel programme. The European average is 63%, but the figure rises to 73% among French and British managers. The fear of fare increases is particularly acute in the air (59%) and hotel (57%) sectors. Unsurprisingly, European travel managers are expecting a increase in their travel budget in 2023, particularly among Dutch (77%) and French (73%) managers.
As a corollary, the volatility of the economic environment worries a third of those surveyed (36%), as do the geopolitical conflicts (32%), according to the 2023 report Cvent Travel Managers. It should be noted that the Covid has not disappeared from the radar, cited by almost a quarter of respondents (23%). As for the climate changeIt is cited by 30% of travel managers.
It remains to be seen how travel managers intend to meet these various challenges. And in particular that of price hikes. According to Cvent, companies intend to combine business travel and meetings & events to a greater extent: 4 out of 10 managers favour this option. Ultimately, however, this will often mean cutting back on certain areas of expenditure. Thus, 37% of those surveyed intend to reduce the number of employees travelling - and even 43% for the French companies. Downward renegotiation of hotel rates also appears to be a favoured lever (34%), even if this mechanically implies a deterioration in the traveller experience...
Price remains the number one choice criterion when it comes to including a hotel in a travel programme for the majority of respondents (51%), ahead of its location (37%) and the flexibility of its pricing policy. It should be noted that the hotel's environmental commitments do not appear in this top 10...
Lastly, the 2023 Cvent Travel Managers report shows that travel managers have not turned their backs on the 'green economy'.hybridOn the contrary. It is the trend most likely to influence their business travel priorities in 2024 and 2025, according to a full third of respondents (34%).
