European policymakers have a key role to make business travel safer and more efficient. We look forward to joining forces to ensure that business travel remains a catalyst for economic development in Europe.
During GBTA Conference 2016 Frankfurt in partnership with VDR last week, GBTA Executive Director Mike McCormick and VDR Executive Director Hans-Ingo Biehl delivered a speech from Centre Stage focused on our collective advocacy efforts in the EU as we work to deliver a pro-business travel message to the elected and appointed governmental decision makers in…
Earlier this year the GBTA Foundation released a study in partnership with American Express Global Business Travel exploring the drivers of business travel satisfaction. In the video below, GBTA researchers Jeanne Liu and Kate Vasiloff discuss the study findings, diving into the generational divide when it comes to travel satisfaction.
With the recent introduction of voice-activated hotel rooms, robot butlers and biometric access control systems, it’s no secret hotel chains are investing heavily in technology to improve the guest experience. The question remains, which hotel technologies do business travelers currently use and which do they wish to see offered in the future? Earlier this year,…
During GBTA Conference 2016 Frankfurt in Partnership with VDR, GBTA Europe President Gehan Colliander delivered a speech about the importance of partnerships for GBTA in Europe. Read the full speech below. Success in business and in travel requires leadership, vision and cohesion. The travel industry exemplifies this cohesion and togetherness, with buyers and sellers working…
Earlier this week, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants announced the grand opening of its first property outside of the U.S., a beachfront resort on Grand Cayman. Though we’d like to say we’re surprised by this development, Kimpton’s SVP of Sales Christine Lawson shared the news with us at GBTA Convention a couple months ago (skip to…
GBTA, VDR Wrap Successful Event With Record Attendance The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) – the voice of the global business travel industry – and German business travel buyer association VDR – wrapped up their third successful joint conference in Europe this week with record attendance. The event brought together over 950 attendees from 20+…
The Verge reports Airbnb is transforming from a short-term rental company into a full-scale travel agency. The company launched a new initiative called Airbnb Trips that enables travelers to experience new cities from a local’s perspective. According to The New York Times, the platform allows travelers to partake in activities ranging from stargazing outings to historical tours….
When you think of emerging travel risks, pandemic health issues like Zika, terrorist attacks and geopolitical turmoil are certainly at the forefront, but more frequent risks impacting traveler safety must also be considered. What if an employee inadvertently accesses sensitive data on a public network or loses their device on a trip? Does your company…
GBTA recently released a business travel outlook forecasting sluggish business travel growth due to U.S. election uncertainty. Although the election outcome is now certain, many believe the future of the travel industry remains unclear. With Donald Trump elected as the 45th president of the United States, industry insiders hope for policies encouraging the free flow…
At this week’s GBTA Conference in Frankfurt, the GBTA Foundation in partnership with BCD Travel is launching two newly updated and completely revamped global resources: the Sustainability in Travel Self-Assessment Tool and the Managed Travel Index® (MTI®). “We are very proud to have been part of such important and wide-ranging projects,” said Kathy Jackson, BCD…
On Monday, international counter-terrorism and security expert Hagai M. Segal delivered the opening keynote at Centre Stage during GBTA Conference 2016 Frankfurt in Partnership with VDR. He called dramatic political risk an unavoidable reality in today’s world. Hagai talked risk and security to the packed audience of travel professionals from across the globe covering everything…
The second day of GBTA Conference 2016 | Frankfurt in Partnership with VDR kicked off on Tuesday, and Roadmap CEO and co-founder Jeroen van Velzen joined industry leaders on Centre Stage to share his perspectives on innovation in travel technology. Jeroen also attended GBTA Convention this past summer, where he chatted about the motivating factors behind Roadmap and…
A new report by the Centre for Economics and Business Research’s (Cebr) finds face-to-face meetings contribute £193 billion to the UK economy on an annual basis. According to Travel Daily News, Cebr suggests companies stand to gain an average of £147,200 per year when conducting face-to-face business. The Washington Post reports TripAdvisor has received a license to book…
Do you have a driver’s license issued by the state of Washington, Minnesota, or Missouri? As of late January 2018, you may be unable to use it to fly domestically within the United States. From 2008 to 2011, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) authorized $263 million in grants to improve the security of state-issued…
Earlier this week, Business Travel News interviewed Mark Hollyhead of Egencia following the announcement that Egencia has restructured its management. Mark’s role has shifted from head of Americas to leading the operations and supplier side as COO. In the article he shares insight on today’s global world and serving both travelers and client companies. This…
*The following post was also sent as an email to GBTA Members.* With just two more months before we close out 2016, I wanted to take a moment to share a few highlights of recent GBTA events that have occurred in Latin America. As one of the most exciting business travel markets, Latin America has…
On Monday, GBTA held a Gift of Knowledge Workshop in Chengdu focused on measuring the success of managed travel programs. The GBTA Foundation also released its latest business travel forecast for the Chinese market showing China remains one of the fastest growing business travel markets in the world. Total business travel spending is expected to…
Last week Avis Car Rental announced its updated mobile app, Avis Now, has gained more than 250,000 users since it rolled out in July. During GBTA Convention’s Media Day this summer, Avis Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Scott Deaver announced the major overhaul to the company’s app with the addition of the new Avis…
Any travel buyer or supplier knows how lengthy and time-consuming the request for proposal (RFP) process can be. They are often associated with mountains of paperwork and hours of effort, but all of that is set to change with the introduction of the new GBTA Car Rental RFP. After an extensive development process, the GBTA…
Last week, the GBTA Foundation released its latest quarterly U.S. business travel forecast. Get the lowdown on top-line numbers from our forecast here:
Today, Bloomberg’s Eric Rosen asked who is winning the U.S. business class cabin showdown. In his article he detailed everything you need to know about the new business class cabins debuting on Delta, United and American Airlines. We don’t play favorites at GBTA, so we’ll let you decide for yourself and read more from Bloomberg here. Speaking…
A new GBTA Foundation study revealed the most valued and most desired features when it comes to site sourcing technology. Conducted in partnership with Lanyon, the study is being released today during a Lanyon Live breakout session. Meeting and event planning starts long before anyone sets foot onsite, of course, and many factors can greatly…
*The following blog post was also distributed as a member email.* Dear GBTA Members, The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has announced that it is issuing an emergency order to ban all Samsung Galaxy Note7 smartphone devices from air transportation in the United States. Individuals who own or possess a Samsung Galaxy Note7 device may…
The GBTA Foundation today unveiled the new GBTA Request for Proposal (RFP) for Car Rental, in partnership with Enterprise. The updated RFP is global, includes a sustainability module and is more efficient and easier to use. A task force made up of representatives from across the industry including car rental agencies, Travel Management Companies and…
Today, the GBTA Foundation released its latest quarterly U.S. business travel forecast, slightly downgrading our expectations from the previous quarter. Uncertainty around the upcoming presidential election is among the factors influencing our more pessimistic outlook for U.S. business travel spending through 2017. Along with the uncertainty surrounding the election, sluggish global expansion, low inflation, weak…
Yesterday, Skift’s Andrew Sheivachman published an article saying traditional car services won’t disappear from the corporate travel world anytime soon. “If all you did was read news reports and listen to the raves of fellow travelers, you would probably think that ridesharing services like Uber and Lyft are rapidly putting traditional car services out of…
Samsung Galaxy Note 7s, airplanes and spontaneous combustion. Oh my! The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) issued an emergency order banning all Samsung Galaxy Note7s from air transportation, carry-on baggage and checked baggage on flights to, from or within the United States effective Saturday, October 15. BBC reports carriers in Australia, Asia and Europe followed…
GBTA is hosting its 4th annual Supplier Summit in Boston on November 2-3. This special supplier-only event will feature education, insight into what buyers want and a tour of the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center where GBTA’s 2017 Convention will take place this July. The event will kick off Wednesday evening with a networking reception…
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