Over the past two years, business travel has faced many challenges, and the industries associated with business travel have been hit hard. With many offices closed, where can business travelers meet? Coffee shops can be noisy when putting on a presentation. In addition, government restrictions have limited and complicated international travel, and mask mandates are still in effect at airports and airlines. These, and many other challenges are why The Washington Post reports that both the U.S. Travel Association and Global Business Travel Association predict a full recovery won’t occur until 2025.
Despite an outlook for a slow recovery, the need for face-to-face meetings still hasn’t changed– after all, you can only make so much small talk over a Zoom call. Indeed, there are clients that you still need to build relationships with, and conferences to attend for personal development. Business travel will may look different in the upcoming years – here’s what to expect.
Virtual meetings reigned supreme over the last couple of years, but increased society’s value for face-to-face interaction. Businesses realize that many meetings can be done virtually, but when it comes to forming new relationships or strengthening existing ones with clients, nothing can replace in-person contact. With that said, cutting back on how often business travelers will travel help cut down costs, while lengthening select trips will deepen those in-person relationships.
USA Today reported that in a poll conducted by the Global Business Association, only 14% of 618 companies polled were allowing international travel; compared with 50% that allowed non-essential business travel within their own country. Unsurprisingly, the challenge of government restrictions due to the pandemic has made it harder for business travelers to go abroad, plus airlines have lowered ticket availability due to safety precautions (leaving a middle seat empty, for instance).
Rental car companies clean and disinfect their rentals according to CDC guidelines and a 15-point cleaning process. Airlines provide touchless experiences and sanitize high touch surface areas like seatbelts and food trays. At Best Western® Hotels & Resorts, we implement our We Care Clean program, which includes thorough cleaning protocols for guest rooms, and ensures a healthy, clean stay for your business needs. Although business travel is evolving, know that we evolve with it.