Business Travelers Speak Their Minds

American business travelers generally have a brighter outlook on their travel experience this year versus last, citing improvements in social media accessibility, expense tracking, travel policy, safety and general corporate health.

At the same time, Canadian road warrior dissatisfaction increased significantly, the ranking moving the most (more than 9%) of all eight countries participating. Expense tracking and safety driving the greatest friction in their travel experiences

Of the eight nations responding to a survey sponsored by the Global Business Travel Association and American Express, business travelers in Mexico and the United States had the highest overall satisfaction levels (109.7 and 105.6 respectively).

American business travelers are so satisfied that 92% say “they would travel the same amount or more in the future,” according to GBTA.

Corporate travelers from Australia and Germany tied for third, at a composite rating of 102.2, while Canadian travelers rated their overall satisfaction at just under 90, the only national group to fall below that mark. More than half (53%) of business travelers in the region still submit hard copies of expense reports, compared to 45% of all business travelers.

Across the globe, 73% of travelers said they were satisfied with their overall business trip experience over the past three months, compared to 71 % in 2015, according to the GBTA Business Traveler Sentiment Index™ Global Report. The Index is based on business travelers’ attitudes toward seven key components of business-related travel.  

Travelers globally who are dissatisfied or neutral about meeting their business travel goals say improved Wi-Fi access (46 %), clearer objectives (42 %), more time with clients (40 %) and a larger budget to extend the trip (37 %) would help.   Interestingly, globally, fewer business travelers in 2016 reported being required to follow a company travel policy, 44 % compared to 52 % in 2015.

Coming as no surprise, 72% of Millennials and 64% of all business travelers use mobile devices to check itineraries one or more times a day during trips, and 55% of Millennials and 44% of travelers use them to check their expenses at least once a day while on the road.   

GBTA reported that every index component score for Mexico business travelers improved in 2016. “Mexicans are on the cutting edge of travel technology on multiple fronts including usage of electronic receipts, mobile wallets for payments and social media,” GBTA said in its report.    

The survey was conducted online March 31-April 13, 2016, by the GBTA Foundation, with responses from 3,500 business travelers with primary residences in Australia, Canada, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Mexico, the United Kingdom and the United State. Respondents have taken at least four business trips in the prior 12 months.