Week in Review

CBS Money Watch reported on a GBTA study this week showing China will soon top the United States in business travel spend in spite of a cooling economy and slower economic growth. Yahoo! News writes that early signs are showing new economic policies in China will have a long-term positive impact on the economy, which points to a healthy business travel industry for years to come. See the five key takeaways from GBTA’s business travel and economic outlook for China.

Where is the world’s top airport? USA Today reports Singapore’s Changi Airport won the “World’s Best Airport” award for 2015 as presented by aviation industry consultancy Skytrax for the third consecutive year. According to International Business Times airports will be busy as airline travel in March and April is set to surge to its highest level in seven years according to Airlines for America. In more good news for airlines, CNN reports the airline accident rate is at its lowest ever with less than one crash for every 4.4 million flights.

Joe Sharkey of The New York Times wrote about expansion plans for TSA PreCheck raising privacy concerns. He spoke with GBTA’s Mike McCormick for the article who said, closer consultation with corporate travel representatives was needed to iron out concerns about using private enterprise for the PreCheck program as it’s an area where though the intentions are good, it’s fraught with issues. Interested in learning more about programs like PreCheck? Travel Pulse breaks down Global Entry, TSA PreCheck and Nexus and looks at which program is best for you.

The Hill reported on terrorism fears threatening the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). GBTA’s Mike McCormick tells them the VWP brings millions of travelers to the United States annually and pumps billions of dollars into our economy spurring job creation and economic growth. While the program is intended only to facilitate travel with allies, he added, GBTA recognizes the potential security concerns to the United States and as such, GBTA appreciates the need for oversight of the program, but urges Congress to resist imposing burdensome changes that would impact the viability of the program.

In hotel news, Skift reports that top hotel CEOs say the industry won’t copy airlines with fee frenzy. GBTA also released a hotel study this week that examined global hotel programs and revealed there is no one-size-fits-all approach.

Tnooz reports on the sharing economy giving us five reasons it is here to stay.

Apple sent the tech world abuzz announcing finally announcing the new Apple watch this week and hotels are already getting ready for it Hotel Marketing reports.

GBTA was excited to announce this week that its Global Business Travel magazine was named a Gold Prize winner in the North American Travel Journalists Association (NATJA) 2014 Awards Competition in the Trade Travel Article category.

Ever lost your luggage on a business trip? Well, you will be pleased to read this New York Times article about smart luggage for the connected age. Yahoo! Travel’s Sid Lipsey tells us how to save big money on business travel and finally I leave you with a list from The Business Journals of six apps to pack on your phone for business travel.