Numerous sectors of the enterprise journey trade have launched their predictions for the rest of the yr — and so they’re far and wide. For some, it seems that geopolitics, tariffs, journey advisories, and border hassles are usually not sufficient for many corporations to maintain vacationers dwelling. Others, together with the trade’s largest member-focused group, the International Enterprise Journey Affiliation (GBTA), trace at indicators of a slowdown.
Summer season Journey Optimism
Company journey administration platform Navan’s new Summer season Journey Development Report reported that summer time flight bookings on the platform are up 10% and lodge bookings up 25% in comparison with final summer time.
“We’re seeing sturdy demand for enterprise journey this summer time,” mentioned Wealthy Liu, CEO of Navan. “Executives have companies to run, they clearly acknowledge the worth of journey, connection, and face-to-face interactions.”
Attendees clearly really feel the identical means. When the Skift Journey Tracker just lately requested the vacationers themselves how their journey to conferences, conferences, and commerce reveals in 2025 compares to 2024, 55% mentioned “Considerably Extra” and nearly all (96%) mentioned “A lot Extra.”
On the journey administration facet of the enterprise, findings from the just-released Sixth-Annual SAP Concur International Enterprise Journey Survey had been additionally optimistic. Regardless of world uncertainties over commerce insurance policies, the survey discovered that the overwhelming majority of respondents, together with 93% of journey managers and CFOs, count on their group’s journey finances to extend or keep the identical in 2025 in contrast with the earlier yr.
Almost all vacationers (97%) mentioned they had been prepared to journey for enterprise over the following 12 months; nonetheless, 40% mentioned they might take into consideration declining a enterprise journey due to security or social considerations a few vacation spot.
Kevin Hinton, managing director, group journey, U.S. Journey Affiliation, stays optimistic as nicely. “Total uncertainty isn’t useful for conferences and journey, however the underlying fundamentals stay sturdy. The inventory market is absolutely recovered from earlier this yr and setting information.”
“Flattish” Forecast
Regardless of the excellent news, one of many first enterprise journey warning bells of 2025 got here from Delta President Glen Hauenstein in April throughout the airline’s first-quarter earnings name, when he mentioned enterprise journey traits had been “uneven,” and that “company volumes [are] anticipated to be flattish” in contrast with 2024.
That is according to GBTA’s International Enterprise Journey Outlook and Affect survey of journey managers, procurement, and sourcing professionals, which discovered that 28% of U.S.-based (28%) patrons count on their firm’s total enterprise journey spend to say no on account of U.S. authorities actions.
“That’s a notable determine — it displays that corporations are contemplating when and why they journey consequently,” mentioned CEO Suzanne Neufang.
Relating to journey to conferences and occasions situated within the U.S., 20% had been both contemplating canceling, or canceling. Goal, location, security and price are all elements in these choices, she mentioned.
“Journey for consumer conferences, main conferences, and high-impact engagements that drive enterprise are nonetheless seen as important, even when some lower-priority journeys could also be scaled again.”
Study, join, and get impressed — with the occasion trade’s who’s who.
September 15 – NEW YORK CITY
