On reading the survey recently published by the GBTA98% of the companies surveyed had interrupted their international travel, and 92% domestically.
Of course, this freeze in business travel is not without consequences for business travel agencies and all suppliers to the market. Two-thirds of these employees have already been affected, with 69% of suppliers having had to make redundancies, according to the GBTA. Conversely, the videoconferencing are surfing on unprecedented demand, as confirmed by the figures published by the GBTA. The vast majority of the companies surveyed use the virtual meetings.
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It now remains to be seen how soon business travel could return to the levels seen at the end of 2019, if such a return to normal is even conceivable. As far as companies are concerned, the time has come for a return to normal.uncertainty despite some optimism. Indeed, a majority of those surveyed expect a recovery by two months (32%) or three months (19%). However, 28% of the professionals questioned do not see such a rebound for another year, with 16% admitting that they have no visibility.
travellers eager to get back on the road
We will also have to convince the people primarily affected - business travellers - that their security is guaranteed before they flock again to airports and stations. This is also the reasoning behind the initiative unveiled by Etihadwhich will automate screenings on itsAbu Dhabi. This is because 13% of companies already fear that some passengers, or even most of them (2%), are reluctant to return to their journeys. However, this reluctance is now in the minority, as underlined by Scott SolombrinoGeneral and Executive Director of the GBTA. "The survey shows that travellers eager to get back on the roadThis is a positive sign for future business travel. Once this pandemic has been successfully tackled, business travel can once again become a positive economic driver for the global economy.".
