Global business travel spend is forecast to hit $1.71 trillion in 2026 with the number of trips expected to exceed 1.84 billion.
The figures from the GBTA Business Travel Index (BTI) Annual Global Report and Forecast represent a 7.2% increase in spend year over year while the volume of trips is up 1.3%.
Commenting on the 2026 figures GBTA CEO Suzanne Neufang said companies “haven’t stepped away from travel, but they are increasingly more selective and productivity-focused.”
“While business travel spending continues to grow, the number of trips is rising more slowly, making it necessary for all of us to assess industry and organizational impact. Travel remains essential, and companies are critically disciplined about where, how and why they travel,” Neufang said.
The report also revealed business travel spend increased 8.4% in 2025 to $1.59 trillion, up from the $1.57 trillion that was forecast a year ago.
The growth was “supported by stronger-than expected economic actvity, easing trade tensions in the second half of the year and overarching currency exchange effects,” GBTA said.
Asia and Europe accounted for the highest volumes of trips, driven by the concentration of business travel activity in APAC and strong regional connectivity in Europe, the report said.
Looking ahead, AI and technology-related investment is said to be "emerging" as a significant driver of business travel growth, particularly in North America and APAC.
“Investments such as digital infrastructure, data centers and enterprise technology deployment are fueling demand for project-based travel, customer engagement and cross-border collaboration,” the report said.
The U.S. and China are expected to contribute more than $825 billion of the forecasted spend of $1.71 trillion in 2026, representing 48% of global spend.
In May the organiziation also surveyed 4,700 business travelers across 66 markets for the BTI report. Findings reveals 74% traveled as much or more than in previous year and 28% expect to travel more in 2026 compared with 2025.
Further findings revealed widespread use of managed travel programs with 65% saying their companies require or encourage booking through a travel management company (TMC) or corporate online booking tool.