More companies are reporting a willingness and actual return to business travel, with domestic travel taking the lead, according to a recent poll by the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA). However, government restrictions on international travel continue to hinder the ability for companies to conduct key business functions, the study says.

The July poll is the 21st in a series tracking the pulse of GBTA’s membership of global travel buyers and suppliers and how the travel industry overall is managing the return to business travel, post pandemic.

The July poll, based on 618 responses, shows a 12% increase compared to last month in companies opening travel and fewer companies suspending or cancelling all travel. Domestic business travel is now widely allowed and corporate bookings and travel spend continues to rise month on month.

And three in four (77%) GBTA members and stakeholders feel their employees are ‘willing’ or ‘very willing’ to travel for business in the current environment.

However, half (52%) of GBTA respondents report that government policies and restrictions relating to international business travel continue to impact their companies’ ability to conduct important business functions such as networking, business prospecting, planning and sales meetings.

GBTA poll respondents continue to be optimistic about the industry’s path to recovery. Half (54%) report they feel more optimistic compared to a month ago whereas two in five (40%) say they feel the same. Only six percent say they feel more pessimistic about the industry’s path to recovery.

The July poll results can be found here. More details and key highlights from GBTA’s member polls are available here.