TRAVEL MANAGEMENT

Free Internet access is now considered a basic hotel service. At least in the eyes of business travellers: a clientele which, in one case out of two, would immediately eliminate an establishment charging for network access, according to a YouGov Plc study for InterContinental Hotels Group.

TourCom Affaires will be holding its thirteenth annual workshop on 29 March. This is an opportunity for its Chairman Patrick Loison to look back on the event, and more generally on the situation of TourCom's business travel branch.

Paris is laughing thanks to its high volume of business, while the French provinces are weeping over their sluggish domestic business: the French hotel industry recorded marked results in 2012. In Extenso/Deloitte forecasts growth of between 1% and 2% in France in 2013, driven by the top end of the market (see table at the bottom of the page).

La 21^th edition of the Bedouk/Coach Omnium barometer was presented on February 6 at the annual meeting of MICE (Meeting, Incentive, Convention, Exhibition and Event) professionals at Porte de Versailles.

It is possible to pay for travel expenses without using a credit card. Today it is, thanks to virtual and stored-value cards. And it will no doubt be tomorrow, with smartphones transformed into electronic wallets. By Martine Denoune

Agnès Benveniste, Deputy Managing Director of Meetings at CWT Meetings & Events, takes a look at developments in the MICE (Meetings, Incentive, Convention, Events) market, and how supply and demand are evolving in this fast-changing sector.

Anthony J. Helbling is Chief Executive Officer of Diners Club.

Erwan Pertuisel is the Administrative and Financial Director of Public Système.

Events agency Le Public Système posted half-year sales of €82.8 million at 30 June 2012. This Euronext-listed company has been using virtual payment for certain expenses for the past two years.