Check-In with Suzanne

This week marks another “first” in getting back to business travel as well as face-to-face GBTA events. Over 120 GBTA chapter leaders from across the U.S. are gathering for the first time since 2020 for the GBTA Leadership Summit in Tampa, FL, to learn, develop, network and collaborate.  

GBTA’s 38 U.S. chapters and their volunteer members play an important and valued role in the ongoing strength and evolution of our industry and association. GBTA chapters focus on the issues that matter most in their local communities and connect with GBTA via the GBTA Chapter Presidents’ Council. Yesterday I was grateful to join the chapter Board and chapter committee members in Tampa and share the latest initiatives, insights and trends in the industry and at GBTA. But even more, I valued the opportunity to listen and engage firsthand with everyone during our Q&A session.   

And in more good news for in-person events, last Friday registration officially opened for the GBTA Conferencia 2022-Mexico which will take place March 9-10 in Mexico City. GBTA is poised to grow in Latin America and I can’t wait to be onsite to speak and meet with our GBTA constituents from across the region.  

It’s a positive sign for business travel recovery to see more in-person events not only being added to the GBTA calendar but across our industry. What’s on your agenda for 2022? Get a jump on planning your attendance at an upcoming GBTA conference, summit or workshop. 

And it’s that time again for our next GBTA COVID-19 Poll – 26th in our ongoing series. The survey link is live and it only takes a few minutes to complete. We’ll be announcing the results on February 17. Thank you for your ongoing participation. Your help enables us to gauge and share industry sentiments around important topics happening in the moment as we move through the pandemic.   

Suzanne 

 

News to Know:

State of the Travel Industry: A Robust Plan for the Future of Travel

U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow delivered an assessment and vision for the U.S. travel industry at the association’s annual State of the Travel Industry address on Wednesday, delivered via webcast from the National Press Club. Dow acknowledged short-term priorities that Congress and the Biden administration should act immediately upon to ensure an even recovery for all sectors of travel, while also mapping out a plan that looks beyond the pandemic to return the industry to growth and increase competitiveness for decades to come.

How is 2022 shaping up for Brazilian airlines?

Latin America aviation specialists, Aviacionline is bringing to its readers a wrap up of the highlights of the largest in Brazil in the past year, with what to expect for 2022. The specialist have ordered airlines by their ranking, measured by RPKs, in the currently available dataset of statistics provided by Brazil’s regulator, Anac, which ranges from January to November 2021. Azul, LATAM Brasil, GOL, Itapemirim, VoePass airlines , were featured in this list.

Travel and tourism expected to grow to $8.6 trillion in 2022

Omicron is still raging, but travel is pushing forward. Travel and tourism could generate $8.6 trillion globally this year, according to new research by the World Travel & Tourism Council. That’s just 6.4% below pre-pandemic levels. More countries have announced reopening plans. Denmark, whose population has a high 81% vaccination rate, has become the first EU country to lift all Covid-19 restrictions, while Morocco has announced plans to reopen to tourists on February 7.

Hospitality industry hoping for break in COVID-19 restrictions following Omicron wave

A bed and breakfast owner in St. John’s says she hopes changes to Newfoundland and Labrador’s COVID-19 alert level will be good news for her business and the provincial hospitality industry. Cindy Whalen-Purtill, co-owner of the Georgestown Inn with her husband, John Purtill, says the pandemic’s Omicron wave has hit business harder than previous waves, with many bookings cancelled in recent weeks, leading to little to no income over the last month.

 

GBTA News and Reminders:

GBTA Conference 2021 – Berlin in Partnership with VDR

We are returning to Berlin, our venue for the conference will be the Estrel Berlin, join us February 28^th – March 2^nd for GBTA Conference 2021 – Berlin in Partnership with VDR, where you’ll have the opportunity to meet face-to-face with attendees representing regional and global companies, to hear from industry-leading speakers and to help define the future of business travel.

Fundamentals of Business Travel Management

Join us February 11^th ,  18^th, 25^th and March 4^th at 10 A.M. ET , each day for a comprehensive guide to the key areas of managed travel. GBTA’s Fundamentals curriculum includes a full range of topics including safety, policy, trends, performance, and more. Participants in this course gain a better understanding of business travel management and make themselves indispensable to the business travel needs of their organization.

Travel Risk Management Bootcamp – Understanding and Implementing ISO31030

Explore Travel Risk Management in the context of the new ISO 31030 standard and gain the tools and confidence to update and/or create a robust system within your organization. This one-day course on February 14^th – 15^th at 2:00 P.M. GMT, will be led by travel risk management experts Global Secure Accreditation in conjunction with GBTA and the Anvil Group, is designed to give practical guidance to anyone involved in building and managing corporate travel programs.