The Business Travel Trends 2024 report predicts that business travel spend will recover to pre-2019 levels. Business travellers are now prioritising extracting maximum value from each trip, facilitated by new technologies such as Generative Artificial Intelligence (Gen-AI). The report, a collaboration between Globetrender and Cytric Easy by Amadeus, highlights seven trends that will shape business travel in 2024.
AI Personal Assistants (AI PAs):
- Gen-AI introduces intelligent, 24/7 ‘AI PAs’ for corporate travelers.
- These solutions assist in itinerary planning, offer guidance based on natural language, and ensure compliance with travel policies.
Executive Field Trips:
- Longer, nature-oriented trips gain prominence in 2024.
- Corporate off-sites emphasize immersive experiences, fostering camaraderie through extreme activities to enhance relationships and motivation.
Objective Stacking:
- The term coined by Globetrender signifies trips planned to achieve multiple goals.
- Pressure to adhere to sustainability mandates and manage costs leads to increased demands on employees to justify trips.
Blended Itineraries:
- A new corporate mindset and automated systems enable more flexible ‘Blended Itineraries.’
- This departure from rigid travel policies focuses on enhancing employee experience beyond simple ‘bleisure’ trips.
Net Zero Heroes:
- COP28’s agreement to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 influences corporate travel.
- A survey by Amadeus reveals 90% of travel companies are strategizing or planning to implement sustainability objectives by 2024.
Digitized Expenses:
- Corporate finance undergoes a fundamental overhaul with the transition to digital expensing and virtual cards.
- Digitized Expenses aim to boost personalization, enhance user experience, and ensure data security and travel policy compliance.
Power Networking:
- A hyper-focused approach to acquiring and building connections emerges in the global events industry.
- Maximizing every opportunity becomes crucial for employees taking time away from work, emphasizing richer itineraries and multiple meetings.
In summary, the report predicts a transformative year for business travel, marked by technological advances, sustainability considerations and an increased focus on improving the overall travel experience for employees. The trends point to a shift towards more strategic, immersive and purpose-driven business travel practices in 2024 and beyond.
