Week in Review

This past week, GBTA released its quarterly U.S. business travel forecast. USA Today’s Nancy Trejos covered the report writing, companies will continue to send employees out on the road this year, but they will do so at a more moderate pace. Delta Airlines CEO Ed Bastian agreed with the forecast that business travel demand will continue to grow, telling Skift they are not seeing any trend lines to give them pause. In other business travel economic news, Travel and Tour World covered another new GBTA report showing business travel drives jobs and GDP growth in Mexico.

Skift talks European business travel’s resilience and other tourism trends this week. The Harvard Business Review shares a trend they spotted in recent research showing women book business travel earlier, saving companies millions.

The European Commission is considering a one-year suspension of its visa waiver program from visitors from the United States and Canada, Travel Mole reports. GBTA’s Mike McCormick commented on the issue saying GBTA strongly discourages European policy makers from considering a suspension of its visa waiver agreement with the United States and Canada as it facilitates travel, spurring job creation and economic growth and is a vital tool for promoting international trade. A suspension would have a negative impact on business travel, which accounted for an estimated $1.2 trillion dollars in global spending last year, he added.

In airline news, the Chicago Tribune reports that airlines fear TSA staffing woes will mean much longer lines, especially as the busy summer travel season heats up. Skift reports on why business travelers are impacted by faring changes introduced recently by American, Delta and United for multi-city fares.

In hospitality news, Hotel Marketing reports on best social media practices for hotel brands as well as how millennials use of mobile is reshaping the hospitality industry.

For your lists for this week, I leave you with five myths about hotels from USA Today and tips to stay healthy while traveling for business from The Globe & Mail.