BUSINESS TRAVEL TRENDS FOR 2022

BALANCING VIRTUAL AND IN-PERSON MEETINGS

Companies are reviewing the value of sending employees on business trips. Employees value travel for the opportunities presented by in-person meetings with colleagues, clients and business partners, but travel programmes need to adjust to the new ways of working created by the pandemic.

ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABLITY

Companies are engaging with sustainability, and travel managers are exploring ways to reduce their programme’s carbon footprint. Many TMCs will have reporting tools to help companies accurately report on business travel emissions across air, hotel, car and rail.

NEW WORKER EXPECTATIONS

The transition to remote settings is rapidly changing the way we work and travel.

Companies need to adjust workplace policies to the needs of digital nomads and hybrid employees, firmly placing them on the people risk management agenda.

PEOPLE RISK MANAGEMENT

More remote and hybrid working means companies must extend their dutyof-care to employees whenever they are out of the office; not just when they’re on a business trip.

A BROADER SET OF RISKS

As travel returns, risks, such as extreme weather events, terrorism and economic risks, need to be evaluated against today’s travel risks.

CYBERSECURITY

Travel managers need to protect their company and travellers from active cyberthreats. The first step is to recognise cybersecurity as a daily risk to travel and take responsibility for tackling it, including ensuring that travellers receive proper security training and follow the right precautions when taking a business trip.

A GLOBALISATION RESET

Political unrest, changing consumer values, and costs and supply-chain issues are forcing a rethink about globalisation. Companies are shifting from a consolidated to a more diversified approach toward supply, production and consumption, and looking at ways of bringing production back closer to the point of consumption. Business travel patterns may shift as a result.

FINTECH

Payment and expense can be time-consuming so adopting fintech-based solutions can help simplify, digitise and automate corporate travel payment, reconciliation and invoice management.

l Taken from the report Business Travel Trends for

2022 by BCD Travel