GBTA Research: Booking Behaviour, Duty of Care and The Role of Technology
Over the past four years, the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) has partnered with SAP Concur to explore business traveller booking behaviour. Our latest European study revealed some interesting findings.
While use of online booking tools is expected to increase, there is room for improvement when it comes to booking options, duty of care strategies and the adoption of technology. Here are some of the key takeaways…
Booking Behaviour
- Over two-thirds of business travellers said they had used an online travel agency (OTA) or booked directly with suppliers for airfares and hotel reservations.
- Use of corporate online booking tools is on the up. Nearly half (47%) of business travellers say they expect to use their online booking tool more often next year.
Duty of Care
- Less than half (47%) say their organisation has a system in place that captures their travel plans when they book directly with a supplier. Some 45% of business travellers say the only way for their organisation to know where they travelled is through their expense claim.
- Business travellers expect their organisation to be proactive in duty of care. 82% think it’s important for their organisation to have visibility of their travel plans.
- Nearly three-quarters (73%) of business travellers expect their company to proactively contact them within two hours of an emergency or security event.
The Role of Technology
- While ease of use is important to business travellers, other desired features of a corporate booking tool include support during emergencies (76%), destination-specific (74%) and travel safety alerts (72%).
- While most business travellers believe their organisation is technologically advanced, there is room for improvement. 28% believe their company’s technology to be average, and one in ten believe their organisations to be “somewhat” or “not at all advanced”.
- Business travellers are willing for booking tools to collect and use personal data appropriately. For example, almost a third would allow company tools to use their data if it would improve their safety.
But it doesn’t end there. The research revealed many other employee expectations, areas of concern and some pleasing surprises about the state of business travel. Want to know more?
Download the full GBTA report: How Technology Impacts Traveller Behaviour and Safety
