" A return to normality after years of post-Covid recovery "The 2024 edition of the American Express GBT Business Travel Barometer translates into figures what most players in the business travel industry have been feeling: an increase in the number of business travellers. upward trend of travel volumes by 2023. However, after a very clear upturn, the pace of growth is slowing, with TMC the market leader. all the more so after the current takeover of CWT - anticipating growth of less than 5% for 2024. " 2019 volumes will not be caught up" Amex GBT also stresses the need to manage travel budgets, particularly in the air transport sector, where competition from the train on short journeys is increasing, in line with companies' CSR policies.
Nevertheless, the barometer shows that business travel has regained its rightful place. Last year, 8% of companies considered business travel to be an unnecessary cost, but almost none of them now consider it to be necessary. a necessary cost. Not only business travel, but also internal meetings and participation in incentives and events, which are up by +7pts compared to 2023. Travellers themselves are fully aware of the importance of business travel, with 85% of them seeing a direct link with their company's development (+4pts).
The pre-Covid fundamentals are also back. Cost control is at the top of travel managers' priorities, and is the number one strategic priority for 2024 for 99% of the business travel decision-makers surveyed. Greater adherence to travel policy rules, increased use of online tools and, above all, greater use of negotiated fares: all these factors make improving access to content the second top priority for the current year.
" Reducing leakage is becoming a key issue" notes Amex GBT. Hotel bookings, which are more likely to be made outside the agency, are therefore a key concern, as companies continue to look for ways to reduce their costs. better visibility of all expenditure. More broadly speaking, three-quarters of the companies surveyed see transactions taking place outside the agency as a challenge. According to the study, there are more and more of them. track expenses incurred outside travel agencies through expense reports" . As a corollary to this, while 36% saw an advantage in having a platform combining a global travel agency, online travel booking and integrated expense management, this proposal received 64% of the votes this year.
A centralised, digital solution also meets the expectations of mobile professionals. According to a panel of travellers surveyed by Amex GBT, while an online booking tool is their number one requirement, a tool for managing expense reports is now in second place, ahead of dematerialised and centralised travel documents.
However, while the user experience was " often put forward "Last year, she found herself in 4th place.e the barometer this year, overtaken by the strengthening of eco-responsibility. Not least because more and more companies have introduced CSR governance emissions, according to 88% of respondents, an increase of 12pts on last year. In this context, the proportion of companies measuring their emissions increased in comparable proportions, rising from 57% to 79% (+22pts). These measures primarily concern transport, air travel, but also rail and car rental, while hotels are less concerned by this assessment.
Among the components of CSR, the duty to protect (duty of care) remains just as important in the eyes of companies. Still the second most important factor in defining travel policies - behind cost control, but ahead of traveller satisfaction and the carbon footprint of travel - its level of importance has risen again compared with the 2023 barometer. For 91% of respondents, an increase of 12 points, it is now an essential element of travel. In this context, the pre-travel approval process is the primary means used by companies, ahead of upstream information for employees and the ability to know where they are at all times. This emphasis on safety meets travellers' expectations, since the level of safety and protection when travelling is the second most important factor, ahead of comfort, and just behind work-life balance.
