New needs for post-pandemic business travel

Statistics on the business travel market drawn up by Spendesk regarding the pandemic recorded a drop of 810 million dollars with two thirds of planes remaining grounded worldwide and 18 companies declaring bankruptcy (McKinsey). Although the business travel sector only constitutes 21.4% of global travel compared to 2019, it is still a driving force for some destinations. Additionally, before the pandemic, the business travel market generated 70% of global revenue for upscale hotels and up to 70% of airline revenue. Yet, as already mentioned, there is an air of restart in every sense. According to data from the World Travel & Tourism Council, a 34% increase in business travel expenses is expected for 2022. Iata has predicted that in 2022 we will complete 75% of the trips we did before the pandemic. In short, the demand for business tickets is slowly recovering and there are various factors that positively influence the restart of business travel. First of all, the easing of restrictions both in Italy and abroad is an incentive for recovery. In fact, one of the main causes of uncertainty related to travel in the past two years has been the continuous change in the entry rules of various countries. The digitalisation of the sector (which partly owes its accelerated spread to the pandemic) was a factor that marked a preference among companies towards online meetings to the detriment of travel. Today the need to meet and shake hands seems to have fully re-emerged and that wealth of knowledge and digital tools are not destined to be forgotten, but rather to be applied and revolutionize the world of business travel.

First of all, the pandemic will leave behind a new way of conceiving travel, with employee safety as a priority. Before organizing a trip it will be necessary to make sure whether the trip can be avoided or not, but also to evaluate the free time for the employee (after all, Covid-19 has revealed to everyone the importance of everyone's personal well-being). Company policies must provide for any emergency measures and the management of any risks and quarantines outside the home. The new way of conceiving travel is based on the new ISO 31030 standard, approved last September, a certification that has rewritten the rules of corporate travel risk management.

As already anticipated, the digitalisation process is unstoppable in this sector too and will constitute one of the main assets that will mark the recovery of business travel. If the pandemic has forced everyone to adapt to forms of remote communication and interaction, it has at the same time transformed business models by pushing players in the travel sector to acquire new technological skills and digital tools to simplify the lives of customers inevitably in crisis.

On the other hand, with the advent of smart working, technologies have acquired new importance and this discovery has led companies to experiment with innovative tools even in sectors for which until now they were satisfied with traditional protocols: the management of travel in the first place. In the long run, in fact, the human component returns to make itself felt, making the constant use of remote meetings excessive. How to manage this other “return to normality”? Applying a new concept of business travel, much more digital. These are the same business travelers who want to travel again so as not to miss out on business opportunities, but they want to be able to count on the technological conveniences to which they have now become accustomed. Travel managers are perfectly aligned, since they have had the opportunity to discover the benefits of travel management software tools. Contactless payment systems contribute to this transformation: a true strategic value for companies, as Daniele Aulari, country manager of AirPlus International Italia, underlined on the occasion of the GBTA Conference 2021 held in last November. In fact, a recent AirPlus research revealed that 84% of companies have already introduced these online payment methods or intend to do so.

Workation, a new way of experiencing travel

Among the many consequences that the pandemic has caused, there is obviously smart working: a new way of understanding work that has demonstrated how employee productivity is not compromised by the fact that they rebalance their professional and working lives, on the contrary. The consequence is a new concept of work, the "workation" which combines remote work with holidays. The new trend therefore leads to the idea of ​​a trip coinciding with that of a holiday and therefore the well-being of employees. Obviously this is a "double-edged sword" to be mitigated. In other words, for many employees the idea of ​​working on holiday is not an attractive prospect. This is why it will be important to evaluate company policy and determine the boundaries between work and vacation in all respects. Also in this case, being able to count on digital tools to evaluate reservations, expenses, etc. it is important with a view to evaluating the strategic advantage of the workation for the company.

Digital tools and apps for easy bookings with Alma Travel

Alma Travel has been on the scene since the 1970s because it has always been at the forefront, anticipating evolutions in the business travel sector. This time too we were able to sense the future, positioning ourselves as the ideal partner for innovative solutions in terms of business travel with a focus on an equally fundamental current topic: sustainability.

As experts we seek and apply the best technological solutions to offer an integrated and functional approach to our clients' objectives. With flexible implementation and direct access to the largest inventory of corporate travel fares, our customers can enjoy online bookings through intuitive and functional direct apps. Our tools allow you to track all company travel processes in a single system, from the first phase of rate research to the final reporting, also providing detailed reports on CO2 emissions based on the choice of vehicle. Because it's good to start again, but it's important to do so towards the right destination: a sustainable future.