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GBTA Research
New GBTA Poll: Business Travel Optimism Rebounds, New Trends & Tech Shaping Industry
Yesterday GBTA released its latest Business Travel Industry Outlook poll, offering fresh insights into the state of business travel as 2025 draws to a close. Based on responses from nearly 600 travel professionals worldwide, the GBTA October poll shows renewed optimism and highlights emerging trends and challenges. However, concerns remain, relative to still-anticipated decreases in business trip volume, spending and revenue for the year.
Key highlights include:
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Optimism Up: When asked about the impact of U.S. government actions on business travel, 43% of global business travel professionals said they were optimistic about the industry’s outlook, up from 28% in June.
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External Pressures: One-third (35%) of global buyers continue to expect travel volume to decline in 2025 due to U.S. government actions while 30% expect spending to decline.
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Longer, Multi-Purpose Trips: 39% of buyers report more multi-destination trips by their employees; a third see longer trip durations and fewer day trips.
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Policy Shifts: 57% of travel programs prohibit short-term rentals; 43% of buyers report that employees sometimes pay out-of-pocket for upgrades while traveling for work.
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Blended Travel: 43% of programs now have defined “bleisure” policies, supporting employee satisfaction and work-life balance.
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Accessibility Gaps: Only 18% of travel managers say their company extensively accommodates travelers with accessibility needs.
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AI Adoption: Nearly half of suppliers and TMCs, and a third of buyers, are experimenting with agentic AI for customer service and personalization.
“Business travel is showing signs of resilience and adaptation,” said Suzanne Neufang, CEO, GBTA. “However, the poll results also underscore the need for thoughtful strategies to navigate external pressures and internal policy shifts.”
Read the full announcement and access the full poll results here.
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