Small-business travellers eager to get moving

The 2021 report, which surveys 1,650 business travellers from the six major small-business regions including US, Canada, UK, France, Japan, Australia and New Zealand, found that business travellers from companies with fewer than 1,000 employees universally want to get back out on the road.

If travelling cannot resume shortly, many of the survey participants said they fear their companies will face severe consequences such as fewer deals signed and fewer existing contracts renewed.

Travellers also indicated they are concerned about less income, stagnating career advancement and even unemployment if business travel is further restricted. However, the survey also found that business travellers wanted more flexibility in the ways in which they will be able to travel when restrictions ease.

The aim of the Business Travellers’ Report is to determine the best strategy to bridge the gap between the needs of today’s business travellers and pre-pandemic travel norms.

The 2021 report also found:

• Nearly all (95 per cent) travellers are willing to travel for business over the next 12 months.
• Over nine in 10 (91 per cent) expect to change their behaviour in the coming 12 months, including more frequently staying in larger hotels (33 per cent), prioritising domestic trips (33 per cent) and using cars instead of public transportation (31 per cent).
• Sixty per cent expect to make changes that improve the sustainability of their travel.