Global business travel is plodding along this year, but with significantly more caution, less confidence and greater operational complexity, according to findings released in April by the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA). The survey polled over 500 corporate travel managers, travel suppliers and intermediaries.
“Organizations continue to travel and meet – and innovate – but they’re doing so while adapting to rising costs, operational friction and escalating geopolitical tensions,” said Suzanne Neufang, Chief Executive Officer of GBTA. “These pressures are reshaping how, where and why companies are traveling.”
Geopolitical Tensions Now the Dominant Concern
Geopolitical instability has become the most significant external risk influencing business travel decisions.
79% cite geopolitical instability and conflict as their top travel-related risk.
In Europe, 92% of those polled identified geopolitics as a primary risk, compared with 72% in North America.
Current conflicts, including tensions involving Iran and the Middle East, are having tangible impacts on industry outlook and operations.
76% of buyers say geopolitical conflicts are having an impact on business travel and meetings decisions.
83% of travel suppliers say these conflicts are materially affecting customers.
Organizations report real-world consequences, including route and itinerary changes (50%), suspension of all travel to/within the region (50%), and re-evaluation of duty of care policies (36%).
Confidence Dropped Since January
Overall industry optimism has weakened since the start of the year.
41% of respondents say they are optimistic about business travel in 2026, down from 59% in January.
Pessimism has nearly tripled, from 9% in January to 24% in April.
Optimism declined from 59% in January to 39% in April, while supplier optimism fell from 57% to 45%.
North America remains net positive, though weakening, with optimism declining from 59% to 45% in April, and pessimism rising from 9% to 19%.
Respondents increasingly cite growing concerns about travel affordability (82%) and employee safety (67%).
Business Travel Continues, but Downside Risk Grows
Business travel activity is expected to continue through 2026, though expectations have moderated since January.
28% of buyers expect volume to decline, up from 16% in January.
30% expect trip volumes to increase, down from 35%; 41% expect no change.
43% of buyers expect spending to increase, similar to January levels and driven by cost pressures.
22% expect spending to decline, up from just 13% earlier in the year.
Only 35% of suppliers expect travel-related revenue to increase, down from 47% in January, while 27% expect declines.
Meetings and Events
Geopolitical risk and cross-border complexity are also reshaping meetings and events planning.
38% of buyers say they are less likely to host multinational meetings in the U.S. than six months ago.
56% say their organization has changed its meetings and/or events strategy in the past three months, including shifting some events to virtual formats (26%), canceling meetings (24%), reducing employee attendance (24%), or relocating meetings (22%).
Sales and client meetings (53%) and conferences or trade shows (51%) are cited as the hardest activities to replicate virtually.
Source: Cincinnati.com
