Is there a segment of the travel industry that is said to be constant state of flux more than business travel? Probably not...
This is perhaps due to the reality that the process of getting employees to, from, staying and working in a destination is impacted by all the other parts of the industry that are also undergoing some degree of change.
Corporate travel agencies and their travel buying customers have gradually accepted that many of the industry-wide developments around search and booking of products should be given the space to enter the mechanics of business travel that they have to adhere to.
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But these changes, primarily around self-service and user experience, are a few years behind the sector now.
Corporations now face more fundamental developments around how their employees want to travel on behalf of their bosses.
It was previously believed that, at the most simple level, business travelers wanted to get to a destination efficiently, attend a conference, have a bunch of meetings or visit customers, sleep comfortably, then return to their original departure point with ease.
This is still the case - yet the products within each of these elements are shifting, and business travelers like what they see.
These range from wanting to extend their stays for a few days of "leisure" time; wanting choice with their ground transportation; and wanting to pick and choose what constitutes their ticket on a flight.
Perhaps no other part is witnessing challenges to the corporate model more than accommodation, where employees are demanding access to private or shared facilities (with their co-workers) - presumably enjoying the same flexibility in their work lives as they do when they travel for fun.
Airbnb is targeting business travelers, inevitably, plus hotels are attempting to differentiate their own product with more "experience"-based products still aimed at employees.
At the core of the business travel conundrum, of course, is the impact that many of the changes in the sector have on corporate policy.
Millennials are said to be the ones demanding that their employers relax their previous stances - but at the heart of the issue is a company's responsibility to provide complete duty-of-care for their traveling workers.
It seems unlikely that it is this group of travelers that are solely responsible - consumer behavior when traveling is altering across the age demographics.
And, therefore, rather than dismiss the challenges as something that needs to be addressed in the future, some argue that companies and their business travel management partners should continue to head down a road of greater flexibility, instead of closing ranks.
Issues for the business travel sector
Some key areas for discussion at The Phocuswright Conference:
- The modern corporate travel policy
- Introduction of new products as business needs evolve
- Flexibility of suppliers to provide new services
REGISTER NOW! Amadeus, Journera and others speak at The Phocuswright Conference 2018