GLOBAL SURVEY


Different strokes


A new global survey highlights travellers’ views on policy, compliance and travel itself, while painting a picture of regional differences in attitudes


By NICK EASEN


omies. It paints a picture of the complex, multi-faceted environment in which the modern-day travel manager operates, and the urgency to find a more holistic way to manage their organisation’s travel spend. “What we can see in this kind of study is


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that travellers don’t necessarily realise the many pressures that buyers are under, that’s for sure,” explains Russell Hurst, head of UK client management at American Express Global Business Travel, the company that commissioned the survey. Global market research firm GfK con-


ducted the study among a cross-section of business travellers from the UK, US, France, Germany, Australia, Singapore and India. The headline result is that travel is still


critically important to the success of com- panies in these key economies, with nine out of ten or more travellers surveyed agree- ing business travel helps them create and


62 BBT May/June 2018


UYING BUSINESS TRAVEL had an exclusive preview of a recent survey of more than 2,000 regular business travel- lers from seven major econ-


maintain strong relationships, provides valuable face-time with clients and boosts their professional development. This is a good cocktail of positive


work-oriented goals and certainly rein- forces the pivotal position travel managers play in organisations; they are the kind of research results that should be relayed to the c-suite when it’s budget time again. However, the role is not an easy one.


CONSUMER-DRIVEN MARKET “We are now seeing a lot of pressure in the business travel scene, since we are all oper- ating in a consumer-driven market,” says Kurston Hannaford-Janes, who manages travel for Two Four Group, an international TV production and distribution company. “The fact is the consumerisation of the sector has been happening for some time. As holidaymakers become increasingly savvy at mastering leisure trips, they have greater expectations for the bookings they make in the office. “These days everyone thinks they are an


expert at booking travel; that’s the issue. Some people are clever at doing so,” she adds.


This survey shows that a solid majority


of business travellers around the globe frequently make their own travel arrange- ments, whether it’s via the web, phone or a self-booking tool. Ironically, 92 per cent of those in the UK that book outside of their corporate travel policy do so because they are under the impression that they will save their company money. In the US, 85 per cent feel the same way. Meanwhile, 87 per cent of UK travellers will break the rules in order to gain business lounge access – contrasting with their American counterparts at just 49 per cent. This appears to be more of an issue for


hotel bookings than airline seats. “Some- times, there is a perception over reality that travellers can find a cheaper deal online outside their travel policy,” explains Sarah Marshall, travel and security manager for operations at DAI Europe, an organisation with a presence in 84 countries, organising more than 2,000 trips a year for develop- ment assistance projects. “There are increasingly millions of permutations out there and comparing like-for-like is always a problem. On some


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