International business travel remains a long way from restarting but a recovery could soon be underway in domestic travel in Europe, according to a member survey by the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA).
The GBTA survey in early August suggests a sharp move against booking direct or through online agencies (OTAs) when travel does resume.
The poll of 800-plus corporate respondents found “virtually no willingness” for employees to travel internationally on business, with 93% saying Covid had curtailed all or most international trips.
However, it registered a fall of 19-percentage points since April in the proportion reporting no or almost no domestic business trips – although three-quarters (74%) reported domestic travel still at a standstill.
The improving trend domestically was strongest in Europe, with 70% of GBTA members in Europe expecting domestic business travel to return in the next three months compared with just 26% in North America.
Two thirds of respondents (66%) said they would be less likely to allow travellers to book direct with suppliers when travel does resume and 65% less likely to allow bookings through an OTA than before the pandemic
The GBTA survey also found personal protective equipment (PPE) had become a “must have” accessory for the sector.
GBTA interim executive director Dave Hilfman said: “The business travel landscape continues to be difficult in Europe and the US, but we see small glimmers of recovery.
“More companies look to be trending positively on domestic trips, with Europe showing the most positive uplift.”
A larger minority of GBTA members in Europe (20%) expected international business travel to resume within three months than in North America (9%).
One third (31%) of member companies said they plan to provide PPE for travellers and 20% to require travellers to provide their own PPE.
Only 6% reported their company not making PPE mandatory for travellers.
Four out of five corporate travel suppliers (84%) and three quarters of travel managers (73%) said business travel had resumed more slowly than they expected.
But three out of four respondents (74%) reported their company had begun to formulate travel recovery plans.
The poll was conducted on August 5-9 and drew responses from 827 GBTA members.