The GBTA and American Express have gauged current business traveller attitudes and experiences with some research on the impact of technology, journey pain points and the general state of corporate travel.
More than 3,500 travellers participated in the study across eight countries including Brazil, the UK and the US.
Highlights of the Business Traveler Sentiment Index are:
- Travellers broadly believe (six out of 10 in each country) they have the technology they need to be productive on the road. In addition, the majority of participants, more than 70% in most countries, say wifi is vital to productivity. They also believe mobile applications have enhanced the travel experience.
- When it comes to frustrations, airline fees and getting through security emerge as the big pain points for business travellers. In Germany and Japan in particular, with only 39% and 36% of travellers respectively say they are satisfied or very satisfied with security.
- Travellers feel optimistic about the state of the business travel industry with 65% from Mexico, 54% from the US and 52% from the UK saying the health of the industry is excellent. Travellers from Australia, Brazil and Japan were less optimistic.
- Satisfaction in business travel varies by country. For example, travellers from Australia and Mexico mostly fee business travel is safe while fewer of those from Brazil, Germany and Japan feel the same level of safety.
- Travellers also expressed an interest in location-based services which they see as helpful while on the go for business. Travellers from Mexico, Brazil and the US expressed the highest interest in the technology. Findings reveal they are most interested in GPS to locate restaurants, meeting venues, accommodation and airports.
According to Susan Chapman-Hughes, senior vice president, American Express Global Corporate Payments the study will help travel providers address concerns as well as attract and retain loyalty from travellers and corporates.
Commenting on the study, Joseph Bates, vice president of research for the GBTA Foundation says:
"We see the overall trend is that business travelers are becoming more open to using mobile technology on the road to take photos of receipts for expenses and to process T&E reports on the fly.
"This is doubly true for millennials, who are more technologically oriented than mid-career travelers. On a variety of measures, millennials say they have twice the preference for technology."
He adds that 47% of travelers aged between 18 and 34 use social media and meet-ups, versus 28% overall. Also, 46% of millennials are interested in on-demand transport services like Uber and HotelTonight, and 35% of millennials are interested in room finding services like Airbnb.
The figures about about double compared to their older counterparts. However, says Bates:
"As the millennials move up the corporate ladder, TMCs will need to adapt to their preferences."
A summary of findings of the index can be found here.
NB: Business travel image via Shutterstock.