Some 4,500 business travellers were questioned in April and May as part of this new study. "Business Travel and Technology published by Egencia. For this fourth editionNine representative business travel markets were surveyed: Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Norway, Singapore, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States. This last market stands out for its appetite for connectivity. In fact, 63% of American business travellers want to use SMS to update their planned trips, compared with 48% for the international average. Similarly, while 43% of those surveyed believe that the advances of Artificial Intelligence (AI) will improve their travel experience, the figure rises to 55% for US business travellers. As for in-flight Wi-Fi, it would improve productivity for one in two travellers (49%), but would only be reimbursed by a minority of companies (29%).
We are at a turning point in business travel
On the whole - and not surprisingly - mobile professionals are very keen to use new technologies, across all media. Two-thirds of business travellers (66%) want to manage and book their business trips from any mobile device, not just their smartphone. Here too, the US market stands out, with a peak of 76%. For many people, the human element should only be involved in the event of disruption. According to this "Business Travel and Technology" study, one traveller in two (50%) avoids interaction with a third party during a trip, unless they encounter a problem. The watchwords for business travel in 2017 are productivity and autonomy. " We are at a turning point in business travelBusiness travellers' expectations are higher than ever. Business travellers' expectations are higher than ever: they want instant access to information and management tools on each of their devices, while operating autonomously. "underlines Rob GreyberPresident of Egencia.
