What are the habits and expectations of younger business travellers? This is the question that CTM (Corporate Travel Management) is attempting to provide some answers. With this in mind, the Australian agency surveyed more than 700 employees on a global scale. Or to be more precise, in five international markets: AustraliaUnited Kingdom, United States, Hong Kong and Singapore. Their common denominator: they belong to generation Y - also known as Millenials - or generation Z. And they fly between 1 and 5 times a year in 70% of cases.
The first finding of the survey is that young employees appreciate this mobility in more ways than one. Advancement seems to take precedence, as 57% of those surveyed consider business travel to be very important for their career development. For one in two employees (51%), such travel contributes to their professional performance, and 45% of travellers link their job satisfaction to this mobility. Furthermore, seven out of 10 professionals (70%) expect their travel patterns to increase with experience. And 55% would like to travel more today - the figure rises to 63% in the UK.
As business travel is not an end in itself, why do these young employees take planes, trains or cars? According to data collected by CTMthe MICE is often the main motivation for a business trip. Starting with Millennials, who quote conferences, events and trade fairs as their main reason for travelling (46%).
What about the travel policy and booking habits of these travellers? Despite their youth, these nomadic professionals - who book their own trips in 59% of cases - show themselves to be responsible. Safety is their priority, ahead of flexibility and price. However, their company's travel policy doesn't always seem to make things easy for them. While 70% of those surveyed mentioned such a document, and a large majority (83%) understood its objectives, only 54% of travellers felt that these rules were in line with their needs. As for the link between travel policy and sustainable development, according to CTM, these younger generations are more sensitive than the average. And the majority of them (57%) believe that their employer should pay more for greener options...
