{"id":208219,"date":"2025-09-22T08:08:00","date_gmt":"2025-09-22T06:08:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.voyages-d-affaires.com\/?p=208219"},"modified":"2025-09-26T11:16:42","modified_gmt":"2025-09-26T09:16:42","slug":"american-express-bernet-travel-study","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.voyages-d-affaires.com\/en\/american-express-bernet-travel-study","title":{"rendered":"A. Bernet (American Express): \"Travel, but not at any price\"."},"content":{"rendered":"

Is business travel still a strategic investment for companies?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Arnaud Bernet -<\/strong> More than ever, if the figures are anything to go by. Our study published in 2024 already showed this, and this year's study confirms it even more: 96 % of companies tell us that they make business trips, 3 points more than last year. More than half of managers - 54 % to be precise - believe that it is impossible for their company to grow without travelling. For companies with more than 500 employees, this figure rises to 69 %.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are the needs that drive such travel?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A. B. -<\/strong> <\/strong>There are three main reasons for this. The first is the need for companies to be present and active in their markets. 65 % of business leaders believe that being visible, for example at industry events such as trade fairs, is essential to their development. The second reason, according to 64 % of managers, is the need to meet prospective customers, for their commercial development. Last but not least, the third reason, according to 68 % of business leaders, is that it is still essential to meet existing customers, in order to build loyalty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We're often talking about longer journeys, for example a single long-haul trip, as opposed to several return trips in the past. Are you noticing this?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A. B. -<\/strong> <\/strong>This is a strong trend that we are seeing. Daytime round trips are still in the majority, but are down on 2024. From 61 % last year, this figure has fallen to 55 %. Conversely, trips lasting several days - but less than a week - are on the rise, up 4 points to 30 %. This could reflect companies' desire to make each of their journeys more efficient. A day's round trip may be worthwhile, but sometimes it's better to group several meetings together over two or three days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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You've seen a significant increase in international travel. Is this the case for all types of company?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A. B. -<\/strong> <\/strong>I was very surprised to see a sharp increase. Last year, 9 % of the companies surveyed said they travelled internationally. This year, the figure has risen to 21 %. That's an impressive 12-point increase. We questioned companies of all sizes, and this dynamic is even stronger among SMEs, with a figure of 36 %, compared with 12 % in 2024 for these companies. While Europe accounts for the majority of these movements, a large proportion is also directed towards North America. For example, for SMEs with 50-99 employees, 37 % of business trips are to this part of the world, and Asia in 19% of cases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So the uncertain economic and geopolitical climate doesn't seem to be affecting people's desire to travel?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A. B. -<\/strong> <\/strong>The results of our study show that French companies are continuing to travel, and this trend has increased over the last year. Companies are investing in business travel because they understand the impact it can have on the performance of their organisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n