Mobility, connectivity, security: CWT surveys business travellers

Carlson Wagonlit Travel agrees: the findings of the CWT Connected Traveler Study published on 24 August are not necessarily scoop: " Unsurprisingly, thanks to technology, most travellers (88 %) feel that it is easier to travel these days. ". According to CWT, eight out of ten travellers believe that new technologies have "boosted" their performance. The business travel agency has nonetheless sought to delve deeper into business travellers' relationship with mobile tools, and points out, for example, that the smartphone is the mobile professional's best friend: " more than 80 % of business travellers say they are dependent on their mobile phone to work "says the study.

The report CWT Connected Traveler Study also notes that airline and hotel applications are the applications most used by travellers (45 %), ahead of geolocation tools (41 %).

" Business travellers are much more productive than they were even five years ago, and that's thanks to technology "says Simon Nowroz, Marketing Director at Carlson Wagonlit Travel. He adds: " Remember when business travellers used to waste so much time between flight times, taxi fares and hotel reservations? Now they can connect and work whether they're on the plane or anywhere else. With the growing emergence of the tablet and a host of apps, travellers are no longer cut off from the world when they're away on business. ".

In the current context, perhaps the most important lesson of the study is the chapter devoted to the security. 67 % of business travellers believe that business trips are more secure today than in the past. However, this does not prevent a small half of professionals (46 %) from saying that concerned about their safety. The majority of passengers (68 %) have also taken out travel insurance.

The French are the least enthusiastic business travellers when it comes to travelling

The other lesson from the study is the relationship that professionals have with their mobility. On the whole, travellers seem to be stimulated by business travel. 78 % of those questioned have seized the opportunity to travel for work, and an equivalent proportion (72 %) say they are stimulated by business travel. However, the French market is characterised by a certain reticence: according to the study, "French business travellers are the least enthusiastic about the idea of going on business trips". A small majority of travellers (55%) see more positive aspects than negative ones. Furthermore, only 13% of them would contact their family during their business trip. Overall, the CWT study notes that travellers use different means of communication depending on who they are talking to: calls (44 %), Skype (24 %) and SMS (17 %) are preferred for communicating with close friends and family, while e-mails (44 %) are used more regularly with colleagues, ahead of calls (24 %) and SMS (14 %).