GBTA Poll Shows European Business Travel Remains Resilient Despite Paris Attacks and Threats to Brussels

Similar Levels of Resiliency on Both Sides of the Atlantic

Last week GBTA released a poll of U.S. business travel buyers about their company’s travel to Europe. The poll showed U.S. travel to Europe remained resilient despite the attacks. We also surveyed European business travel buyers last week and issued the following statement today regarding the survey:

GBTA Poll Shows European Business Travel Remains Resilient Despite Paris Attacks and Threats to Brussels

Similar Levels of Resiliency on Both Sides of the Atlantic

Nearly three-quarters of European business travel buyers say their company’s travel within Europe will remain largely unaffected by the recent attacks on Paris and threats to Brussels, according to a poll conducted by the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) in the days following the attacks.

Nearly half (47 percent) reported “no change” and another 26 percent reported their company’s travel within Europe was only “slightly reduced.” Just a tiny fraction – 1 percent – reported that they have temporarily suspended travel within Europe.

The vast majority of European business travel buyers – 79 percent – believe that it is important that travel within Europe continue as usual despite the recent terrorist activity.

“Business travel in Europe remains resilient despite these terrible attacks,” said Michael W. McCormick, GBTA Executive Director and COO. “The response has been strikingly similar on both sides of the Atlantic. The vast majority of travel buyers believe that it is important for business travel to continue as usual despite the recent terrorist activity.” 

“This resiliency, however, only heightens the need for businesses, governments and the travel industry to work together to ensure a global travel system that is both safe and secure.”  

This survey of European travel buyers was conducted online between November 25 and 30, 2015 with the support of GBTA’s European partner network. In total, 236 travel buyers from 12 different countries in Europe participated in the survey.

Results similar to survey of U.S.-based travel buyers
This week’s results are similar to a GBTA survey of U.S.-based travel buyers conducted earlier in November. The poll of 169 U.S.-based travel buyers found that nearly three-quarters of U.S. business travel buyers said that their company’s travel to Europe would remain largely unaffected by the recent attacks on Paris. A majority (57 percent) reported “no change” and another 16 percent reported their company’s travel to Europe was only “slightly reduced.” Additionally, the vast majority of U.S. business travel buyers – 93 percent – said that they believed it is important that travel to Europe continue as usual.