Professionals in the business travel industry look forward to an engaged and productive year, according to the first “Business Travel Outlook Poll” of 2025, released by the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA). While shifting economic conditions, geopolitical concerns and technology-driven changes continue to be areas of uncertainty, the poll results show an overall positive industry trajectory with almost half (48 percent) of travel buyers expecting their companies to take more business trips in 2025, and nearly 20 percent more (57 percent) anticipating increased travel spending this year.
Other findings around NDC, technology and AI integration, corporate sustainability commitments, workforce and hiring challenges, and developments in workplace expectations point to an innovative and inclusive industry that continues to advance and adapt.
Now in its 36th edition, the poll reflects responses from 786 responses were received by GBTA from global travel buyers, suppliers and other industry professionals across North America, Europe, Latin America and Asia Pacific from January 21–31, 2025. Here are some of the key findings from the 2025 Q1 GBTA “Business Travel Outlook Poll:”
- Looking Back: Business Travel Gains Momentum as a Whole – Last year was a good one for business travel, with seven in 10 (71 percent) travel buyers reporting an increase in their company’s business travel bookings compared to 2023. This result is even better than the earlier projections reported in GBTA’s January 2024 “Outlook Poll,” when nearly three in five (60 percent) travel buyers expected more business travel in the upcoming year. Business travel spending was also higher in 2024 than anticipated, with nearly four in five buyers (77 percent) indicating their company’s spend increased last year. Comparatively, two-thirds (67 percent) of buyers anticipated an increase when asked at the start of 2024.
- Regional Differences – North America (NORAM) led the way with growth in 2024 with four in five (81 percent) travel buyers there reporting their business travel spend increased last year. Asia Pacific (APAC) led global business travel spend growth last year, with more than three in four (78 percent) buyers from that region reporting a higher volume of trips compared to 2023—including 30 percent who saw a significant increase.
- Looking Ahead: 2025 Business Travel Predictions – Regionally, anticipated business travel spending varies, but is positive overall with 48 percent predicting more volume and 57 percent more spend in 2025 vs. 2024. APAC travel buyers reflect the most optimism with 63 percent indicating they are planning to spend “more” or “a lot more” in 2025, followed by NORAM travel buyers at 57 percent. European buyers are somewhat more cautious when it comes to both anticipated travel volume and spend. One-third (37 percent) of European buyers expect increased trip volume—the lowest of any region—while fully half (50 percent) anticipate “more” or “a lot more” spending. On the cautious side, nearly one in five (19 percent) foresee a decline in their company’s business travel volume in 2025. Half of buyers from NORAM (50 percent) are optimistic about their company’s business travel volume and say their company is planning “more” or “a lot more” trips this year. Travel buyers expect sales and account management trips will account for more than one-quarter (27 percent) of their company’s travel spend on average. Other anticipated key types of travel include internal company meetings (21 percent), conferences and trade shows (14 percent) and service trips (13 percent).
- Key Industry Trends & Challenges for 2025 – Even with expected growth in business travel this year, poll results indicate companies remain cost conscious and selective when making business travel decisions. Additionally, the industry continues to prioritize technology and AI integration, while sustainability and workforce-related efforts are shaping corporate travel policies. And although hybrid work remains the dominant travel industry workplace model, in particular for buyer companies, more companies will enforce stricter return-to-office policies in 2025.
- Specifically:
- For travel programs, AI adoption remains slow with only 34 percent of buyers saying their program plans to incorporate AI in significant ways this year.
- Nearly one-third (30 percent) of buyers are reevaluating or changing their Travel Management Company (TMC) in 2025, with four in 10 (39 percent) citing dissatisfaction with TMC technology and 37 percent citing service quality concerns as key reasons. Additionally, one-fifth (20 percent) mention their TMC’s difficulty with NDC bookings as a reason they are considering a change.
- One-third (33 percent) of buyers expect increased investment in planet-focused sustainable travel practices, with APAC (55 percent) and Europe (46 percent) leading these efforts. Meanwhile, 29 percent of companies plan to increase support for people-focused initiatives, though 25 percent of buyers are unaware of their company’s people-focused initiatives.
- The buyer-side of the business travel industry’s hiring landscape remains competitive with just 16 percent of travel buyers planning to add staff within their travel programs in 2025.
- On the other hand, travel supplier, TMC and tech companies are hiring, with four in 10 (41 percent) supplier and TMC respondents planning to add staff this year. However, NORAM lags, with one-third (35 percent) of supplier/TMC respondents expecting their company to add staff this year, compared to almost half (45 percent) of European suppliers and TMCs.
- Respondents from all regions say key barriers facing the entire industry in finding qualified candidates in 2024 included unattractive salaries (54 percent), inadequate budgets for new roles (40 percent) and a growing demand for remote work (42 percent), which is a direct contrast with efforts by some corporations to limit remote positions. Notably, nearly half (47 percent) of supplier/TMC respondents cite remote work preferences as a key barrier, indicating a widening gap between workforce expectations and employer policies.
- Remote work policies continue to evolve. Even though half (51 percent) of GBTA stakeholders say their companies have not changed their policies from 2024, one-third (32 percent) report their companies have made work from home (WFH) policies stricter by requiring employees to be in the office more often. Supplier/TMC respondents (34 percent) are about equally likely as buyers (31 percent) to say their company implemented stricter WFH policies over the past year. However, suppliers and TMCs had stricter policies to begin with, as shown in last January’s GBTA “Business Travel Outlook Poll.”
- Hybrid work schedules are most prevalent in Europe, where more than three-quarters (77 percent) of business travel professionals report their company has a hybrid work policy for 2025, followed by APAC (62 percent), LATAM (58 percent) and NORAM (51 percent).
Source: GBTA
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