GadgetWings
Business travel set to soar in 2025
A landmark Flight Centre study reveals that 42% of corporates expect to spend more on travel in 2025, with most increasing their travel.
A landmark global study has revealed that 40% of businesses plan to increase their travel in the 12 months from July 2024 to June 2025, while 42% intend to increase their travel spend versus last year.
Utilising the Qualtrics platform to survey its customers directly, Flight Centre Corporate produced a random sample of more than 500 responses from flagship brands FCM Travel and Corporate Traveller, spanning the globe.
Overall, 10% of customers surveyed intend to travel more than 20% more, 30% plan to increase by up to 20% more, 35%t believe the amount of travel will be the same, and only 10% anticipate a reduction.:
“Corporate travel is now, without question, deemed to be a non-discretionary spend for businesses as a critical facet to surviving and thriving across the globe – evidenced by a significant percentage of our customers planning to increase their travel volume and spend on travel,” said Melissa Elf, global chief operating officer of Flight Centre Corporate.
“These figures paint a positive picture for the world of business travel going forward and will create flow-on effects for a multitude of destinations as corporates continue to utilise the ‘bleisure’ trend of adding on a holiday to the beginning or end of their trips. Businesses, whether they be large multi-nationals or SMEs and start-ups, are vital to the economy and it’s with great pride that we get to deliver our unique blend of the expertise of our people and our innovative technology to service them in their aspirations.”
Bonnie Smith, GM of FCM and Corporate Traveller in South Africa, said: “Understanding how much our clients plan to travel for business in 2025 and what they intend to spend provides valuable insights into the needs of business travellers as a community. In South Africa, high demand and limited availability are particular challenges.
“To prepare for 2025, companies should focus on controlling rising travel costs by adjusting budgets and negotiating better rates. Booking early and exploring alternative travel options can help manage these challenges. If you’re not working with a TMC, now is the time to start. A TMC can help streamline your travel management, optimise costs, and effectively navigate these challenges.”
