The Number of Buyers Forecasting Bigger Business Travel Budgets at Five Year High
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The volume of buyers predicting an increase in travel costs was also at a record high (49% compared to 43% in 2018) and there was significant uplift in those expecting to manage more trips (52% compared to 33%).
114 European buyers took part in this year’s Business Travel Show poll, 56% from the UK, 35% from continental Europe and 9% from the rest of the world. 61% of buyers responded control budgets in excess of £1m.
Other highlights from the survey:
- 45% of buyers polled will have more to spend on accommodation in 2020 – an increase of 16% on 2019
- 65% are expecting to book more room nights, compared to 40% a year ago
- 41% will have bigger airline budgets, rising 10% over last year
Business Travel Show group event director David Chapple commented: “Last year’s survey showed a downturn in numbers across the board – with fewer buyers predicting airline, accommodation and overall budget increases. This was unsurprising with Brexit on the horizon and businesses holding back on both decision-making and spending. These figures appear to show a return to form and are back on par (if not slightly above) 2018’s statistics, which is very encouraging news for the industry.”
How budgets compare year on year over five years:
| 20vs19 | 19vs18 | 18vs17 | 17vs16 | 16vs15 | |
| Budgets | |||||
| Bigger | 41% | 33% | 40% | 32% | 29% |
| Smaller | 19% | 15% | 12% | 21% | |
| The same | 40% | 53% | 48% | 47% | |
| Travel costs | |||||
| Increase | 48% | 43% | 47% | ||
| Decrease | 17% | 10% | 13% | ||
| The same | 35% | 47% | 40% | ||
| Number of trips managed | |||||
| More | 52% | 33% | 45% | 48% | 44% |
| Fewer | 17% | 14% | 15% | 37% | 37% |
| The same | 31% | 53% | 40% | 15% | 19% |
| Airline budgets | |||||
| Bigger | 41% | 31% | 49% | 40% | 33% |
| Smaller | 18% | 16% | 11% | 15% | 24% |
| The same | 41% | 52% | 40% | 45% | 43% |
| Accommodation budgets | |||||
| Bigger | 46% | 29% | 49% | 32% | 38% |
| Smaller | 18% | 14% | 24% | 14% | 21% |
| The same | 36% | 56% | 31% | 54% | 41% |
| Room nights | |||||
| More | 65% | 40% | 45% | ||
| Fewer | 11% | 10% | 24% | ||
| About the same | 24% | 50% | 31% |
Business Travel Show takes place 26-27 February 2020 at Olympia London and ‘conscious travel’ is one of its themes for this year, with much of the show’s content hinging on how buyers can deliver more ethical travel programmes. Visitors will also enjoy a moment of serenity in the new Wellness Retreat, where they will find innovative solutions for improved traveller wellbeing.
Business Travel Show will welcome over 9,000 visitors, more than 260 exhibitors and over 400 buyers on its extensive hosted programme. The conference programme will feature over 90 hours of content, 88 sessions and more than 120 speakers.
