A new poll from the Global Business Travel Association reveals a slew of recent Trump administration actions have triggered deep concerns across the travel industry. Nearly one-third of global travel managers (29%) surveyed said they expect a drop in business travel volume this year, with the average decline projected at 21%. Only a minority of global travel buyers (44%) responded that they don’t think there would be an adverse impact; among travel suppliers, only 25% think their business travel revenue would go untouched. Suppliers and travel management companies are likewise bracing for the impact as 37% of them forecast a revenue decline, averaging 18%.
The poll surveyed over 900 travel professionals from 45 countries from March 31 through April 8, 2025.
“While the outlook for global business travel was incredibly strong coming into 2025, our research now shows increasing concerns and uncertainty within our industry, considering recent actions taken by the U.S. government,” said GBTA CEO Suzanne Neufang. “Productive and essential business travel is threatened in times of economic uncertainty or in an environment of additional barriers and restrictions. This undermines economic prosperity and damages the many sectors that rely on global business travel to survive and thrive.”
In November 2024, GBTA found that 67% of global industry professionals were optimistic about 2025. That figure has now dropped down to 31%, with a sharp rise in neutral (40%) and pessimistic (26%) responses. While Latin America and Asia-Pacific respondents were slightly more hopeful (52% and 40%, respectively), only 26% of European and 28% of U.S.-based respondents expressed optimism. Canada is trailing behind with just 21%.
Source: Skift
