GBTA Research

Business Travel Continues but Industry Confidence Drops Sharply Amid Rising Conflicts, Costs and Complexity, According to New GBTA Poll

Global business travel continues in 2026 but with significantly less confidence and greater caution than earlier this year, as geopolitical tensions, rising costs and growing complexity increasingly influence how organizations travel and meet, according to the latest GBTA poll released today.

Results from GBTA’s April 2026 industry sentiment survey of 539 travel buyers, suppliers and intermediaries worldwide show that organizations are still moving forward with trips, spending and meetings—but are doing so more intentionally amid heightened risk and disruption.

“What we’re seeing is not a broad pullback from business travel, but a more deliberate and carefully managed approach to it,” said Suzanne Neufang, CEO of GBTA, noting that organizations continue to travel and meet while adapting to rising costs and escalating geopolitical tensions.

Key findings from the April poll include:

• 79% of respondents globally now cite geopolitical instability as a top business travel risk—rising to 92% in Europe
• 76% of buyers say geopolitical conflicts are having an impact on travel and meetings decisions
• Overall optimism fell to 41%, down sharply from 59% in January, while pessimism nearly tripled over the same period.
• Confidence among European respondents fell significantly, with just 21% now optimistic and pessimism rising to 38%
• 82% cite business travel affordability as a growing concern, up from 70%
• 28% of buyers now expect business travel volume to decline in 2026, up from 16%
• 56% of buyers say their organization has changed its meetings or events strategy in the past three months
• 69% of buyers report actively using AI to support decision‑making and manage complexity

Read more in the full GBTA announcement here.

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