Diverse business team at meeting, discussing marketing strategy and working on gadgets, top view
A new survey from the Quarterly Business Travel Tracker revealed that 84% of business travelers expect to take at least one trip to attend conferences, conventions or trade shows in the next six months. While less than 1 in 10 U.S. business travelers are uncertain if they would travel in the next six months, the top reason for uncertainty was that meetings and events are not currently scheduled.
According to the survey, business travelers expect to resume traveling at a slightly slower pace compared to pre-pandemic levels, averaging about 1.6 trips per month (compared to 1.7 monthly trips pre-pandemic). Further data show the meeting and events industry is moving beyond pandemic-era trends of virtual and hybrid meetings and returning to live, in-person events.
“There is simply no substitute for a face-to-face meeting, which is proven to lead to more fruitful business opportunities and can help power an economic and jobs recovery in communities across America,” said U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow.
Experts say federal lawmakers should advance policies to accelerate the recovery of the meetings and events sector. The U.S. Travel Association is calling on Congress to enact policies to help revive business travel spending in restaurants and entertainment venues, while also urging the Biden administration to remove remaining travel restrictions to speed up a return to international business travel.
Source: FTN
