How are European travel managers facing 2013 in terms of travel spending?

DAVID CHAPPLE, Director de Business Travel Show.

 

 

According to the results of the survey that we have carried out on behalf of the Business Travel Show, which is being held these days 

Business Travel Show, which is being held these days in London, business travel budgets are increasing, and the hotel sector is one of the sectors that will benefit the most from this trend.

The survey was carried out among 178 buyers from all over Europe, 80% of them with budgets of more than 1.2 million euros. Almost four out of ten expect an increase in their travel spending this year, an evolution that is consolidated after the increase experienced in 2012 with respect to the previous year. Significantly, 47% of the travel managers participants expect to organize more trips than last year.

With regard to hotel bookings, only 17% plan to downgrade rooms for their traveling employees, while 12% intend to upgrade and 63% state they will continue with the same travel policy for accommodations.

Some of them say, in any case, that they are taking steps to strengthen their relationship with the preferred hotel chains so that they can better adjust their service offerings to the needs of their client companies. In general, they are also in favor of a concentration of purchasing 

that allows them to undercut the best available rates (BAR).