The world is constantly changing and thanks to technology it is becoming a smaller and more connected place. There are more people traveling than ever before. The business travel industry continues to grow, with experts saying that global business travel spend will reach $1.9 trillion by 2022 and most employees nowadays see corporate travel as an opportunity rather than an obligation.
According to the newest studies, international business travelers consider travel as a valuable activity that supports not just professional but also personal growth:
- Millennials are more willing to travel, as they consider business trips an elevating experience
- Employees who travel often feel more empowered and engaged
- Travel can even help improve confidence and interpersonal relationship skills
The State of Business travel in 2020
Millennials and members of Generation Z are taking over corporate travel. Millennials are making more than half of the world’s workforce and on the other hand, Generation Z continues to become more valuable to the travel business industry. It is predicted that they will be worth more than $200 billion to the industry by the end of 2020.
This shift in corporate travel demographics has influenced the global business travel forecast for the upcoming years. Since Generation Z has never known a world without social media, smartphones, and high-speed WiFi, many business travel innovations center around technology. Innovations in travel and technology lead to new companies that are changing the way of business travel. One of them is Swedish based company Dib Travel (www.dibtravel.com) focused on an all-in-one business solution that gathers hotel and flight booking services in one place.
Bleisure phenomenon
With the workforce becoming younger the rise of bleisure travel is one of the most significant outcomes of this demographic shift in corporate travels. Length of stay for a bleisure traveler has already switched from two nights to six-plus nights. 43% of business trips are now bleisure, while 70% of business travelers who add on a leisure stay travel at least every 2 to 3 months.
- More than half of international business travelers extend business trips to accommodate leisure activities at their destination
- Companies in the tourism industry are focusing their marketing campaigns on local tourist attractions and events
- Bleisure travelers go on these trips once every two to three months
Self-booking platforms
More corporate travelers want to book accommodation and flight tickets on their own. According to recent surveys, 63% of employees used an online booking tool instead of seeking the services of a travel agent. This trend towards self-booking may also be another effect of the generational shift in corporate travels. When these self-service tools fail, corporate travelers will continue to rely on customer service and human for support. That’s why Dib Travel has responsive services and all-time support so travelers feel taken care of at every turn.
All time support
From purchase to post-trip, travelers will be continuously connected to the booking platform and its services. With universally available Wi-Fi and wireless connectivity, people will come to expect 24/7 service from their service providers. Technology will enhance creating ongoing relationships between booking platforms and travelers instead of one-time service offerings.
World of tomorrow
International business travelers can expect to spend less time waiting in airport lines, thanks to facial recognition technology that speeds up immigration protocols and border control procedures. Other biometric technologies seeing increasing use at airports include fingerprint and retinal scanning.
Trip disruption technology is also evolving to minimize the hassle caused by delayed flights and trains. Travel technology providers can now deliver real-time trip updates to travelers’ mobile devices. This way, business travelers can adjust their plans accordingly and minimize downtime.
Technology has also moved beyond airports and train stations to make business travel easier. Business travelers can now enjoy automated check-in and check-out processes. These technologies allow the traveler to pick up room keys upon arriving at the hotel and head straight to the room. Centralized billing can save travelers from the hassle of having to compute expense costs separately.
Sustainability
Everyone must take responsibility for the global impact on climate and the environment, and the good news is that the big companies started taking responsibility for its part in this. The travel industry is daily working on figuring out ways of achieving more sustainable travel. The search for innovative technical solutions and small but significant improvements are what will hopefully make the difference. One of those improvements is the feature that enables the traveler to get the total impact of C02 for each trip and the possibility to compensate directly on the platform.
