{"id":187899,"date":"2025-01-06T09:27:56","date_gmt":"2025-01-06T08:27:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.voyages-d-affaires.com\/?p=187899"},"modified":"2025-01-10T12:51:28","modified_gmt":"2025-01-10T11:51:28","slug":"sabah-kahoul-business-travel-purchase-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.voyages-d-affaires.com\/en\/sabah-kahoul-business-travel-purchase-2025","title":{"rendered":"\"Sabah Kahoul, Business Travel Purchase: \"A space for travel managers to take up on new forms of mobility"},"content":{"rendered":"

What will 2024 hold in store for travel management?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Sabah Kahoul - <\/strong>The year was marked by a particular focus on sustainable development and reducing CO2 emissions<\/strong>. There is a real awareness in all companies, whatever their size or activity. There's also a real awareness that we mustn't fall prey to the greenwashing<\/a>. So we're taking it one step at a time, perhaps groping our way a little too much, but companies are extremely vigilant about methodology and internal communication<\/strong>with tangible results. A great deal of effort has also been put into digitalising business travel. Online booking tools are improving, with more integrated artificial intelligence to facilitate the work of the travel manager and the user experience. Overall, this is very positive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The highlight of 2024 is also the redemption of CWT by Amex GBT<\/strong><\/a> of course. The market is consolidating. So there's going to be a place up for grabs in 2025 for all the challengers<\/strong>. There is already an appetite for agile, digital players who integrate the new technologies.artificial intelligence<\/strong> to all their processes, from travel bookings to the management of their customers. expense reports<\/strong>. Buyers and travel managers want to reduce the number of suppliers they deal with in order to reduce their workload. They expect agile tools, an improved traveller experience, and the ability to put in place tools that enable them to make the best decisions, in terms of both budget and CO2, with turnkey reporting. So we're still in a phase of consolidating TMCs, and we're going to look for a global offer, as global as possible, to have an optimised and standardised process in all our subsidiaries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aren't you worried about your choice narrowing down?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Sabah Kahoul - <\/strong>Yes, completely. Not good news for the buyer<\/strong>. When a market consolidates, there is of course less competition. And the work of finding new entrants is important, in a context where some of them still have to prove themselves, they often don't have enough history, or are not completely global, or their payment methods are not aligned with the buyer's expectations... Companies have few resources to devote to Travel. I'm seeing more and more travel manager posts being abolished or reduced. Travel buyers are being asked to take on other categories. There is still a lot of work to be done to make the role of travel manager more strategic and indispensable in the eyes of companies.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is MICE one of the categories that travel buyers are now responsible for?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Sabah Kahoul - <\/strong>There can be the MICE <\/strong>in fact, there can be vehicle fleet<\/strong>But there is mainly indirect purchasing. The position of travel manager depends on the level of expenditure. A company that wants to reduce its travel budget often imagines that the buyer will have less work. However, this is not always the case and there is a need for people who continue to travel. Contracts need to be renegotiated, and we need to keep an eye on this market, which is extremely dynamic, with many new entrants. The scope is also increasing with new mobility. HR departments, which often manage mobility on behalf of the company - with the mobility credit scheme in France, for example - need the support of a buyer and his or her recommendations. I also think thattravel buyers and travel managers have an important role to play in managing these new forms of mobility<\/strong>. I think the business can develop on this new mobility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n