TRAVEL MANAGEMENT

FCM is adding new features to its Sam virtual assistant. The tool now adapts to all channels, and AI enables it to anticipate the needs of business travellers more accurately.

The Concur Travel platform is enriched by Hcorpo's hotel content, and the partnership between SAP Concur and Gekko Group also uses the Gekko Tech connector to facilitate the integration of other hotel aggregators and TMCs into the reservation solution.

According to Amex GBT, hotel price rises should be moderate overall in 2026, both worldwide and in Europe, but growth should be stronger in India and South America.

A new reporting tool was unveiled on 20 August by FCM Meetings & Events, the MICE arm of the business travel agency.

Following on from France, Belgium, Luxembourg and Switzerland are now entitled to a free visa on arrival for Vietnam. This is long-awaited news for travellers from these three countries. 

SAP Concur has noted a return to growth in business travel expenditure. And it welcomes more optimised travel policies to contain the increase.

International Workplace Group (IWG) has named Tokyo as the best bleisure destination for combining work and holidays in its 2025 Work from Anywhere ranking.

BCD Travel has devoted a study to the hotel expectations and habits of business travellers. An opportunity to reassess the relevance of its hotel programme.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has published the 2024 edition of World Air Transport Statistics (WATS). This reference in the world of air transport offers comprehensive statistical data for the year 2024. And it highlights a fundamental trend in the industry: the boom in Premium classes. 

The acquisition of CWT by American Express Global Business Travel (GBT) will go ahead. The US authorities have dropped the charges against CWT.

The euro will become Bulgaria's official currency on 1 January 2026. However, the countdown begins on 8 August, when prices will be displayed in both lev and euro...

American Express GBT, in partnership with Chooose, is strengthening the reporting of hotels' carbon emissions through more accurate data and greater global coverage.

Launched by American Express GBT and Shell, the Avelia platform is evolving to give businesses access to sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from a number of suppliers.

The AirHelp awards have been unveiled. It shows an improvement in the performance of French airports. However, they are still far from the top places.

CWT is expanding its AI catalogue with TIM, a tool that simplifies data analysis within Analytics, for optimised exchanges with the travel manager.

The six countries of the Persian Gulf are preparing to launch a common Schengen-style visa. An advantage for organising long-term business trips and for MICE.

SAP Concur has surveyed business travellers, travel managers and finance departments around the world. The aim: to identify the sticking points that are holding back the recovery in business travel.

A partnership with SkyLink is enabling BCD Travel to recruit an AI-based travel assistant, integrated with collaborative tools such as Microsoft Teams or Slack.

Evacuations, reassessment of recommendations: Beatrix Renaut, Head of Security at International SOS, looks at the security situation linked to the conflict between Iran and Israel.

AirPlus has teamed up with Crédit Agricole d'Ile-de-France to roll out a range of payment solutions for the bank's business customers.