Business Travel Easing Into Positive Territory - Part One

November 23 2010 by Chris McGinnis

Best Western Logo.jpgEarlier this month, we asked a core group of Best Western's best customers about their outlook for business travel in 2011. Overall, these members of Best Western's Diamond 100 Advisory Board (BWD100) see gradual improvement when it comes to trip volume, spending levels and economic recovery. This brighter outlook comes to light when we compared findings from a similar survey taken one year ago.

The below is the first in a two-part series that examines some key findings. Come back next week for part two.

>Business travel volume will increase. 84 percent said that they will take the same or more business trips in 2011 compared to 2010. Only 16 percent said they plan to travel less--that's down from 18 percent who said so in last year's BWD100 outlook survey.

+ "We had a freeze on travel in 2010, but it's thawed. So our business travel in 2011 will increase."

+ "My company has the same expectations this year as last and in some cases even more. This will require at least the same amount of overnight travel."

+ "We have quoted more new business in the last three months than we did in the previous six months, which is a positive indication that business travel will grow.

- "I am doing less travel and cyber-commuting for about 25 percent of my trips in 2011."

>Business travel spending will increase. 84 percent said they will spend the same amount or more on business trips in 2011 compared to 2010. Those who said they would spend more in the coming year increased from 18 percent in last year's survey to 23 percent this year.

+ "While the number of trips will remain at or above last year's levels, our company is going to ask us to be more fiscally responsible."

+ "My travel spending should remain about the same unless we see a big jump in gasoline prices."

+ "As long as hotel rates remain affordable, I'll be spending about the same amount."

+ "Overall spending will increase because we plan to take more trips. But we'll probably spend about the same amount per trip."

- "Our travel expenditures are based off of per diem rates, which have decreased for 2011. So I will spend slightly less."

>More trips by car than by plane. As is normal for this group, most business trips will be by car rather than by plane. 63 percent said that fewer than a quarter of their business trips in 2011 will involve air travel, with many saying they don't travel by air at all. Only 11 percent said that "most" of their business trips involved air travel.

"If the trip is six hours or less, I prefer to drive."

"Nearly all my away time is road time."

"I only fly once or twice a year to a meeting on the other side of the country where it would not make sense for me to drive."

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