Analysis for The Americas

A new report from GBTA and Spotnana on the views of US corporate travel buyers reveals positive trends for the rest of the world and the recovery of business travel.  

The report is based on survey responses from 151 US-based corporate travel buyers and addresses key questions, including when travel managers expect business travel to return to pre-pandemic levels, current and new priorities in their roles, and the travel program metrics they are now tracking.

There is a growing sense that lower levels of business flying are here to stay, with many still expecting top executives to set corporate flying reduction targets, driven by cost savings, changing travel habits and sustainability needs.

Messaging regarding the recovery of the business travel segment remains mixed.

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of the industry’s leading voices have claimed that business travel will never fully recover due to changing working habits – namely, remote working and digital nomadism; company cost reduction; and a growing awareness of environmental issues.

Indeed, international business travel has been recovering at a much slower rate than leisure tourism.

The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has published a report on a topic that is slightly unusual: namely, the economic value of tourism to cities, taking into account its contribution to GDP and employment as well as the usual traveller ‘spend.’

The main conclusion is inescapable.

While ‘old world’ cities in Europe still top the list, as well as North American resort cities such as Orlando and Las Vegas, there is a shift in favour of Asia Pacific. Beijing, for example, is expected to more than double its tourism sector value to USD77 billion in the next 10 years, leapfrogging the current first-placed Paris.

Where actual tourist spend alone is concerned, the top two cities in 2022 were Dubai and Doha, both helped by the Soccer World Cup being played in Qatar.

Again, Asia Pacific cities are expected to overtake or challenge them in the next 10 years.

The European Federation for Transport and Environment, a European umbrella for non-governmental organisations working in the field of transport, says a majority of employees now expect top executives to set corporate flying reduction targets.

Research conducted by Ipsos in Oct-2022 as part of the Travel Smart Campaign of the organisation – commonly referred to as Transport & Environment – showed three in five business travellers report having curbed their flying habits as a result of the pandemic.

Autodesk, a global leader in design and make technology – with expertise across architecture, engineering, construction, design, manufacturing media, education, and entertainment – was recognised for the environmental credentials of its corporate travel programme at CAPA – Centre for Aviation’s annual Environmental Sustainability Awards for Excellence in Singapore.

The San Francisco-headquartered company was awarded the Corporate Travel Environmental Sustainability Programme of the Year 2022 Award in Asia at a gala dinner at the Capella, attended by over 150 of the region’s aviation luminaries and part of the 2022 CAPA Asia Aviation Summit.

CAPA, part of the Aviation Week Network, also recognised Wizz Air, Cebu Pacific, Delta Air Lines, Volaris and Etihad Airways in the airline section of the awards with Central and Eastern European low-cost carrier Wizz Air recognised for its ambitious, multi-pronged sustainability strategy as the Global Environmental Sustainability Airline/Airline Group of the Year.  

Hyatt Hotels Corporation has confirmed the opening of Grand Hyatt Shenzhou Peninsula in Wanning, Hainan. The 262-room oceanfront resort offers a luxurious tropical escape amidst the spectacular natural beauty of Hainan’s Shenzhou Peninsula, a natural treasure located off the east coast of Hainan Island with a tropical climate, fresh air, golden beaches and crystal-clear waters.  

Inflation, easing restrictions, pent-up demand, staffing shortages, higher energy and food costs. These are all factors that point to higher hotel rates in 2023 across the board, according to a new report from American Express Global Business Travel (GBT).

As travel recovered across much of the world in 2022, largely driven by leisure, hotels have been able to increase their prices. While hotels can continue to benefit in 2023 from pent-up demand for in-person meetings and events, the global economic outlook is unlikely to allow them to achieve rate rises on the same scale as seen last year, notes the report.

Accor has opened the first property under its MGallery brand of boutique hotels in South Korea’s capital Seoul. The 196-room Hotel Naru Seoul – M Gallery Ambassador is located in Seoul’s Mapo-gu district, and offers views of both the city’s skyline and the Han River.

The hospitality group has recently expanded its MGallery portfolio in Australia with a landmark 400th property across Australia and the Pacific, while other brands are growing in Morocco and Mexico, among other recent announcements.

As the travel industry ramps up following the pandemic, new research from Collinson of Priority Pass members sheds light on the way frequent flyers see travel now and in the future, especially as the industry looks to reshape and recover after running with limited services during the pandemic.

The research also provides insight into the unique relationships people have with travel, why they want to get away, and just how critical it is for rest and relaxation as well as nurturing relationships. But ultimately, it shows that, in spite of tighter wallets worldwide, travel will continue to be robust given the many other things they would rather give up in order to preserve their travel budgets.

Minor Hotels has revealed it will bring its first Avani hotel to the Australian market, with a new-build property planned for Mooloolaba on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. Opening to guests in 2025, Avani Mooloolaba Beach Hotel will enjoy a sought-after central location on the corner of Brisbane Rd and First Avenue, just moments from the Mooloolaba beach foreshore.