Understanding Today’s Business Traveler —
The Managed, The Unmanaged and The Rogue
Have you wondered what your business
travelers are thinking regarding travel?
What drives and impacts their choices
and booking habits?
This summer, ABC Global Services sponsored
and helped shape a study conducted by travel
market research company PhoCusWright that
sheds light on these questions, and more. Through a comprehensive quantitative survey
of U.S. adults who have taken business trips
over the previous 12 months, the study’s
primary goal was to provide insights about
the needs, behavior, intentions and drivers of
today’s business travelers across a range
of demographics.
The study examined travelers in three main categories:
1) part of managed travel programs, 2) non-managed
travelers, and 3) rogue (essentially part of a managed
program but out of compliance). It reports on the
findings with actionable recommendations for travel
services organizations. Influencers considered in the
study include use of social media, online meetings,
different attitudes affecting business vs. leisure
bookings, frustrations with managed programs, and
mobile phone usage. Key findings of this review that
will become a future White Paper include:
- The majority of business travelers
are unmanaged (do not have an
established travel policy).
- Of those employed by large companies
(5,000-plus employees), one-third
do not have managed programs.
- 91 percent of business travelers are
actively involved in booking their
travel versus a coordinator, etc.
- The booking channel or “how travelers
book trips” (via a traditional travel agency,
OTA or direct online) is the most tightly
managed aspect of travel today and the
policy area travelers adhere to most.
- Travelers are least compliant with
regard to hotel bookings.
- The priorities and patterns of all business
travelers (managed or unmanaged) are fairly
universal except that unmanaged travelers tend
to mix business with leisure in greater numbers.
- According to 45 percent of travelers
surveyed, virtual business meeting
options such as Skype, Webinars, etc., have
somewhat, substantially or dramatically
replaced the need for business travel.
- Of the non-compliant or “rogue” crowd
—they universally cite convenience and
price as reasons for non-compliance,
although insist that they have their
company’s best interest at heart.
- Twice as many managed travelers typically
book travel via online options (37 percent)
rather than calling their preferred agency
(17 percent). (Note: These are web booking
tools provided by the company or travel agent
rather than an OTA, airline or hotel Web site.)
- Three out of four business travelers access
the Internet via mobile phones, with the
top three mobile activities being: 1) getting
directions/mapping info, 2) local activity
research, and 3) destination research.
Over the next few months you will read more about this
study, directly from ABC Global Services, PhoCusWright
and the media. There is much actionable information
it provides that we can all respond to in support of the
business travelers we serve and our businesses at large.
In the meantime, should you have specific questions
about this study and report, please contact your ABC
Key Account Manager at kam@abcglobal.travel, or call
1.800.722.5179 / +1.312.462.1965.