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Check-In with Suzanne
Member-Led, Locally Driven: The Vital Role of Grassroots Initiatives
GBTA recently held its annual U.S. Chapter Leadership Summit, bringing together in Los Angeles nearly 200 attendees from across our 36 U.S. chapters. What always stands out for me is not only the engagement and enthusiasm of our chapters and their leaders, but also the crucial role their locally based grassroots efforts play in advancing our industry with programs, advocacy, support and more. The persistence, longevity and volunteerism they bring to the business travel communities in their cities and states not only advance our industry overall, but also makes us a stronger, better global association.
So much work and impact happens on the ground − and the same holds true in our regions worldwide. We are grateful – and better – because of the commitment of and collaboration with our many volunteers and partner associations in EMEA (including ABTA, DBTA, FBTA, IBTA, ITM, NATM, NBTA, VDR, GBTA Southern Africa and others); our regional entities in France and Italy; our local engagement in Latin America and Canada; and our growing efforts in Asia-Pacific.
If you haven’t heard, for the global business travel industry in 2023, optimism is in the air. This was confirmed in the Q1 2023 GBTA Business Travel Outlook Poll results we released last week. The return will vary and there are still potential economic headwinds, but 75% of corporate travel buyers are anticipating more business travel in 2023 than last year. Read the full poll results here, where we also explore employee willingness to travel, sector spending variances, easing of supplier staffing constraints, and the mixed outlook on China travel.
In addition to travel buyers and suppliers, there’s also the third and very important segment of the business travel triangle: business travelers. They are our industry’s ultimate stakeholder and they are coming back post-pandemic − but they are different…
In an opinion piece for BTN’s “What to Watch,” I delve into four aspects of the evolving business traveler experience in 2023. More employees are untethered to traditional office spaces and there is a pent-up desire for travel in general. They are seeking more personalized and more eco-conscious travel options. The blended travelers of 2023 are ones we are all watching carefully, as they are not easily defined through the lens of pre-pandemic travel patterns. This is an opportunity to rethink and improve the business traveler experience, leading to a more engaged and satisfied workforce – and that’s good for companies, clients and business in the long term.
I’d love to hear your thoughts−what do you think our industry should be thinking about in the year ahead?
Suzanne
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