77% of Spanish business travelers are feeling the impact of mass tourism
Tourist overcrowding has become a new challenge for business travel. In Spain, 77% of business travelers say they are affected by mass tourism, a phenomenon that is already hindering business travel and complicating its planning, according to SAP Concur?s Global Business Travel Survey 2026.
Specifically, 32% of respondents say that one of their business trips has been directly affected by the high volume of tourists at the destination. As a result, 96% avoid staying in the most touristy areas, mainly due to rising costs (52%), the limited availability of accommodations (52%), mobility challenges (46%), and the loss of comfort (36%).
This scenario is also beginning to influence corporate strategy. In fact, 38% of travel managers identify employees? reluctance to travel as one of the main threats to corporate mobility programs in 2026.
Greater uncertainty in corporate travel
Added to the pressure stemming from tourism saturation is an increasingly complex environment for the business traveler. Among the main concerns are potential travel disruptions, such as delays or cancellations (39%), risks associated with geopolitical tensions (32%), and issues related to visas, immigration status, and digital identification (14%).
In this context, expectations regarding the support organizations should provide are also rising. However, 77% of Spanish professionalsdo not fully trust their company?s ability to assist or evacuate them in an emergency, highlighting the need to strengthen employee protection policies.
?The results of this study show that business travelers are increasingly demanding flexibility, intuitive digital tools, and a greater sense of security during their trips. Organizations that are able to combine these elements with efficient cost management and compliance will be better positioned to maximize the return on their corporate travel programs,? notes João Carvalho, director of SAP Finance & Spend Management for Southern Europe.
AI Takes Center Stage in Travel Management
Technology is also transforming the way employees organize their trips, though not always through corporate channels. 66% of Spanish business travelers say they use or would use unauthorized artificial intelligence tools ?known as shadow AI or ?shadow AI?— to plan or manage their trips.
Among the main uses are itinerary planning (32%), risk assessment (27%), and expense managementexpense management during the trip (20%), reflecting a growing demand for solutions that are more agile, personalized, and aligned with the user experience.
The study also points to there is also a growing gap between the AI tools that companies make available to employees and those that employees prefer to use, as corporate investment in this technology increases.
Expense policies under pressure
The evolution of travelers? habits is also reflected in the financial sphere. Nearly half of those surveyed (47%) admit to having occasionally violated their company?s travel and expense policies.
Among the most common practices are using corporate discounts for personal purposes (15%), using company funds for private expenses (13%), and extending trips without prior notification (9%). In addition, 7% admit to having paid for meals or expenses for third parties with corporate funds, while another 6% acknowledge having traveled accompanied by non-employees during business trips.
These behaviors highlight the need to implement clearer policies and more transparent processes that facilitate regulatory compliance and reduce frictionfor employees.
The SAP Concur Global Business Travel Survey 2026, conducted by the research firm Wakefield Research, compiles responses from business travelers, CFOs, and travel managers from 21 countries. The full report can be downloaded from the SAP Concur website.