Business travel equals big business. According to the Global Business Travel Association, it equated to annual revenues of $1.4trn in 2019. Then Covid happened. Passenger numbers plummeted, revenues dropped by $710bn and Bill Gates predicted that post-pandemic business travel would be halved. But even if working remotely taught us that not everybody needs to be in the office five days a week, we still need human connections. And while the pandemic proved that business can be conducted effectively through Zoom or Teams or whatever video conferencing tool you use, in-person touchpoints – whether it’s signing a deal, pitching for a client or networking at a conference – will still be a vital aspect of working life. Hybrid working has emerged as the dominant trend across the globe, allowing people to split their time between an office HQ, working from home or at a coworking space. Plus, hybrid is also helping to shape the future of business travel. According to forecasts from the World Travel & Tourism Council, business travel spending will reach two-thirds of pre-pandemic levels in 2022. There were positive signs for the industry dating back to the end of 2020 when Globetrender published a report titled The Future of Business Travel. The results revealed that 76% of respondents agreed that being face-to-face with clients is preferable to remote working for sales meetings and pitches. However, 67% said that remote working is a way to reduce carbon footprint. So, there is clearly a desire for people to travel when…
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