Business travelers are optimistic about AI, see a need for greater innovation in the industry and are participating in a surge of bleisure travel, according to a report called Personalization Takes Priority: How Business Travelers are Reshaping Travel Management Companies from Direct Travel, Inc.
Among the findings:
- Innovate or stagnate: More than one-third (37%) of business travelers do not believe the industry is innovative, with almost two-thirds (63%) seeking a wider array of options for content, signaling a demand for industrywide innovation.
- Gen Z’s got the business travel blues: 18- to 29-year-olds are the least satisfied with corporate travel, rating their business travel experience the lowest of all age groups (70%).
- AI Optimism: Business travelers are overwhelmingly optimistic about the role AI can play in the business travel experience: 96% are at least somewhat interested in a business travel digital assistant that could anticipate needs and make recommendations based on personal preferences and travel routines.
- Bleisure is more than just a trend, it’s ubiquitous: Of the 90% of business travelers who have extended a business trip for pleasure, more than half acknowledge doing so “frequently.” Almost all respondents (98%) agree that incorporating leisure into business trips positively impacts overall work performance.
Christal Bemont, CEO, said, “Today’s business travelers have made it clear: The status quo is not enough.” Travelers, she said, “are demanding an overhaul of the way travel is managed, emphasizing the need for personalized, tech-driven solutions that offer delight in all aspects of the travel experience, from reservations to reimbursements.”
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