Advocacy’s Critical Role in Driving the Advancement of Business Travel

When it comes to GBTA’s advocacy for global business travel, it’s a year-round mission. In 2022, GBTA’s initiatives ranged from advocating for lifting border restrictions and testing protocols as the pandemic leveled off, to expanding sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production, to advancing critical budgeting and resourcing provisions in legislative bills. Our efforts were geared towards enhancing business travel but also improving the travel experience for all. 

In 2023, we will continue to prioritize climate action, a robust infrastructure, and the safe and efficient movement of travelers. Under our global strategy, GBTA advocates on a regional level for issues prioritized by the local business travel community. To aid our efforts, we work with government affairs partners, Brussels-based Grayling Public Affairs, Invictus in Ottawa, and Cornerstone in Washington, D.C. GBTA also actively monitors issues across the globe, including Asia, the U.K, and Latin America, but we need you to be our eyes and ears.  

For GBTA to be the true voice of business travel, we need your support. Promoting the importance of face-to-face meetings is also a major pillar of our advocacy strategy. As the subject matter experts in business travel, policymakers need to hear directly from you. Reach out to GBTA’s Shane Downey (sdowney@gbta.org) if you want to share your insights or know of issues where GBTA can assist.  

In March, GBTA will be in Brussels meeting with policymakers and members to share our views on a framework for counting greenhouse gas emissions along with rail capacity, air travel, and improvements for multimodal booking. In May at our Toronto conference, GBTA Canada will continue its 2022 initiative of hosting key stakeholder meetings with Canadian staff and elected officials on GBTA’s key topics.  

On June 13-15 in Washington D.C., GBTA’s yearly Legislative Summit takes place. The highly engaged volunteers of the U.S. Government Affairs Committee help set GBTA’s U.S. agenda by advising on the challenges faced. And look for more details to come about the U.S. Chapter Challenge which raises the profile of business travel and grassroots advocacy for issues at the Congressional District level. 

On June 13 GBTA will also be holding its second GBTA Sustainability Summit in Washington, D.C. Held in Brussels last year, this one-day, high-level event brings together experts, industry and policy leaders to outline tangible actions toward managing business travel’s environmental impact. This year, both the Legislative and Sustainability summit events will be held in the same city, by design, to make for highly productive, multi-purpose travel. Registration is now open for both so don’t miss out. 
 
Suzanne