Check-In with Suzanne

Exploring the State of Business Travel Now

In addition to the economic and overall recovery forecast for our industry, the impact of air travel disruption has been a topic I’ve been asked about recently. Business travelers are typically more experienced, aware, and adaptive travelers. Does this make them better prepared, willing or able to navigate disruption when traveling for business?  
 
This is just one of the topics we’re exploring in our next GBTA Business Travel Recovery Poll. We’re also asking for your views on ongoing industry trends in bookings and travel sentiment, along with the current connection between hybrid/remote work and business travel, and business travel impacts related to inflation and economic concerns. We thank all who have participated in our ongoing GBTA polls to offer your “many voices” and collective insights on recovery. The latest poll questions are going out today and we’ll release the results in early October.
 
We also are preparing to explore the state of business travel in Europe during the upcoming GBTA Europe Conference and Sustainability Summit in Brussels, November 8-10. This is a combined opportunity to not only gain region-specific insights and make connections, but also to be part of GBTA’s first-ever event bringing together sustainability experts, policy leaders and our industry to outline solutions on decarbonization and the race to Net Zero. Register here by September 28 to secure the lowest price to attend. 
 
Exploring sustainability and best practices in business travel, MICE and tourism will be the focus of another first-event for the Asia-Pacific region. GBTA and the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) will be cohosting the APAC Travel Summit in Bangkok, December 8-9. I look forward to being part of the discussion on what’s next for this very important region for business travel, blended travel, and global travel overall. 
 
We’ve extended the deadline for the annual GBTA WINiT Awards to this Thursday, September 29, to submit your nomination(s).. The GBTA WINiT awards spotlight individuals and companies who are making a difference as industry professionals, mentors, rising leaders, innovative trailblazers, culture catalysts, and more. You can submit your nominations here. Award winners will be announced at the October 27 WINiT Gala 2022 in New York City, and the Top 50 Women in Travel will be announced prior to the event. 

Suzanne 

News to Know:

Europe’s aviation recovery reaches “critical juncture”

Air traffic across Europe surged in July, with a 70 per cent increase on the previous month, according to the latest report by airports association ACI Europe. However the association warned that recovery could be compromised if the European Union’s ‘use it or lose it’ airport slot rules are not restored during the forthcoming winter season. With traffic volumes edging closer to pre-pandemic levels, ACI Europe director general Olivier Jankovec stressed the importance of returning to the standard airline slot regime of 80 per cent, which was reduced to 64 per cent across the EU and 70 per cent in the UK during the busy summer period. (BTN Europe)

Shanghai, Mumbai, Melbourne and beyond: CNBC names the best Asia-Pacific hotels for business travel

Business travelers are on the road again. So there’s no better time for CNBC Travel to name the best hotels for business travel across Asia-Pacific. CNBC joined with the market and consumer data firm Statista to produce rankings of the “Best Hotels for Business Travelers.” A second list of rankings for hotels in Europe and the Middle East will be published next month.In total, we analyzed more than 10,000 four- and five-star hotels in 117 locations to produce a list corporate travelers can trust. We did this using a three-step process. (CNBC Travel)

The Netherlands Drops All Entry Requirements And Travel Restrictions

Effective September 17th, 2022, the Dutch Government has made the decision to get rid of all Covid-19 travel restrictions and requirements. This decision applies to all travelers, including those traveling into the Netherlands from outside the EU/Schengen area. The Netherlands kept their Covid protocols for travelers in place much longer than the majority of European countries. However, as of September 17th, the country has officially taken its name off the list of the last European countries that still have entry requirements. (Travel Off Path)

Airlines tweak plans to offer meals, hotels when flights are canceled

Major US airlines have updated their customer service agreements following pressure from the Biden administration to step up consumer rights in the wake of a summer plagued by flight cancellations and delays. American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, JetBlue and Southwest have all published updates to their customer service policies this week. The policies have been rewritten in clearer language with tweaks in some cases to when passengers can receive meal and hotel vouchers if a flight is canceled or delayed. In United’s case, the airline is now offering meal vouchers for flights delayed more than three hours when the previous threshold was four hours. The changes were published online. (CNN Travel)

GBTA News and Reminders:

Increase Traveler Satisfaction and Value With a Modern Personalized Shopping Experience

Join us as Spotnana shares details about the deep integration they’ve built to deliver superior traveler experiences, and discuss the future of personalization in travel.

GBTA Conference 2022 – Milano

The annual gathering of the Italian Business Travel and MICE community. During a full day conference, 25 speakers will deep dive into the current main business travel market trends: Sustainability, New Market Opportunities, Diversity & Inclusion, Digitalization and the evolution of the meetings management. With the active involvement of the audience, we will define the market priorities and design the strategies to fulfil them. Networking, best practice sharing and education sessions will provide the knowledge and the critical take-aways to face the future successfully.

Fundamentals of Strategic Meetings Management™

Pioneers and thought leaders in meetings, procurement, and travel management have collaborated to create a road map and share best practices on how to create and manage an effective strategic meetings management program for your company. The program covers 6 modules and includes 3 two-hour live sessions with an instructor.