Constant Connectivity, Mobile Applications, and Digital Wallets Part of “Technological Transformation” Changing the Face of Business Travel, According to First-Ever Global Business Traveler Sentiment

Index examines travel trends in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Japan, Mexico, United Kingdom, and United States

Alexandria, VA (July 16, 2015) – Mobile technologies – including Wi-Fi, travel apps and digital wallets – are transforming business travelers’ experience around the globe.
That’s according to the first-ever GBTA Global Business Traveler Sentiment Index™, research from the GBTA Foundation, the education and research arm of the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), in partnership with American Express.

“A massive technological transformation is changing the face of business travel,” said Joseph Bates, Vice President, GBTA Foundation. “At the heart of this radical disruption is Wi-Fi, which has become the indispensible technology for travelers. Wi-Fi and mobile technologies allow travelers to stay connected whether in their hotel rooms, at the airport, or at 30,000 feet. This transformation will only accelerate, and business travelers will demand always-on connectivity and mobile applications that allow them to stay in touch 24/7.”

“The Business Traveler Sentiment Index provides a snapshot of the attitudes and experiences of business travelers about what is working and what isn’t when it comes to travel,” said Susan Chapman-Hughes, senior vice president, American Express Global Corporate Payments. “This will help travel providers address areas of concern and help attract and retain loyalty from their customers.”

The index makes four key findings:

1. Technology continues to transform the business travel experience.
2. Despite overall satisfaction with travel, a number pain points have emerged, causing deep frustration among business travelers – such as getting through security and high airline fees.
3. Travelers are optimistic about the health of their industry, though less hopeful about the overall state of their country’s economy.
4. The level of satisfaction in business travel varies widely by country. Business travelers from Mexico are the most satisfied, while travelers from Japan are the least satisfied, among countries surveyed.

As employees travel for business, they need to stay connected – meaning mobile devices and applications play a more important role than ever. Travelers, across the board, believe that Wi-Fi is “vital to their work productivity” – Mexico (90 percent); Brazil (87 percent); Canada (83 percent); United States (81 percent); United Kingdom (80 percent); Australia (75 percent); Germany (70 percent) and Japan (52 percent).

Additionally, business travelers, while generally satisfied with their trip experience, encounter several “pain points” that cause ongoing frustration, including airline delays, trouble getting through airport security, high airline fees and lack of Wi-Fi.

Les voyageurs demeurent préoccupés par la santé de l'économie dans son ensemble, mais ont tendance à être beaucoup plus optimistes quant à leur industrie. Au moins la moitié des voyageurs du Mexique (65 %), des États-Unis (54 %), du Royaume-Uni (52 %) et du Canada (50 %) déclarent que la santé globale de leur industrie est excellente.

Enfin, des différences majeures dans le Sentiment des Voyageurs d'Affaires sont apparues d'un pays à l'autre. Les voyageurs d'affaires du Mexique, par exemple, obtiennent des scores supérieurs à la moyenne dans toutes les composantes de l'indice. Pendant ce temps, les voyageurs aux États-Unis, en Australie et au Royaume-Uni obtiennent tous un score juste au-dessus de la moyenne sur le sentiment global des voyages d'affaires, tandis que ceux d'Allemagne, du Brésil et du Canada obtiennent un score juste en dessous de la moyenne. Les voyageurs d'affaires japonais sont les moins satisfaits de toutes les composantes de l'indice, à l'exception de l'expérience des médias sociaux.

The GBTA Business Traveler Sentiment Index™, in partner¬ship with American Express, was fielded March 17 to April 6, 2015, to business travelers within Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Japan, Mexico, the UK and the U.S. through an online research panel.

Overall, 3,851 respondents qualified for the study (their pri¬mary residence is located in one of the eight countries, they are employed part- or full-time, and they have taken four or more business trips in the prior 12 months).

Major findings of the report follow:

Finding 1: Technology has changed the face of business travel
La grande majorité des voyageurs de tous les pays, à l'exception du Japon et de l'Allemagne, pensent que l'accès à la technologie leur permet de faire face à leurs autres exigences professionnelles lorsqu'ils voyagent (environ 75 % ou plus en moyenne). De plus, à l'exception du Japon (40 %), environ six voyageurs sur 10 dans chaque pays conviennent qu'ils disposent de toutes les ressources nécessaires pour être productifs sur la route.

Les voyageurs pensent que le Wi-Fi est vital pour la productivité du travail à tous les niveaux – Mexique (90 %) ; Brésil (87 %) ; Canada (83 %) ; États-Unis (81 %) ; Royaume-Uni (80 %) ; Australie (75 %) ; Allemagne (70 %) et Japon (52 %).

Une majorité de voyageurs dans la plupart des pays pensent que les applications mobiles (fournies par les fournisseurs de voyages, les organisateurs d'événements ou les destinations de voyage) ont amélioré leur expérience globale de voyage d'affaires. En particulier, les voyageurs en Australie (57 %), aux États-Unis (55 %), au Royaume-Uni (55 %) et au Canada (53 %) sont « d'accord » ou « tout à fait d'accord » avec cette affirmation.

Submitting paper receipts remains the predominant method of validating expenses, but travelers appreciate the ability to use multiple mechanisms to submitting receipts— paper receipts, taking images of receipts using a photocopier or scanner, and taking photos of receipts using a mobile device. Out of all the countries, the U.S. is the one country that relies on paper receipts the least (52 percent). Conversely, in Japan and Brazil, business travelers primarily rely on paper receipts (88 percent and 78 percent, respectively) and also give the lowest satisfaction ratings.

De plus en plus, les voyageurs sont ouverts aux nouvelles technologies - telles que les portefeuilles numériques - qui leur permettent de suivre les paiements et les dépenses via leurs appareils mobiles. Sur la base de leur niveau d'intérêt élevé, cette fonctionnalité est plus susceptible de réussir auprès des voyageurs mexicains (74 %) et brésiliens (64 %), par rapport aux voyageurs d'autres pays.

L'utilisation des médias sociaux pour les voyages d'affaires est plus répandue chez les jeunes voyageurs (âgés de 18 à 34 ans) que chez tous les autres groupes d'âge, ainsi que chez les femmes par rapport aux hommes.

L'intérêt pour l'utilisation des services de transport de l'économie du partage est relativement faible parmi tous les voyageurs - seulement 20 % des voyageurs d'affaires expriment leur intérêt à utiliser davantage ces services. Cependant, les jeunes voyageurs de tous les pays sont plus susceptibles que les voyageurs plus âgés d'utiliser davantage ces services.

Finding 2: Despite overall satisfaction with travel, a number pain points have emerged, causing deep frustration for business travelers

“While most travelers are significantly satisfied with their trip experience, a few areas have emerged as significant pain points,” said Bates. “This includes airline fees, getting through security, ensuring convenient flight schedules, rewards points that don’t expire and having adequate Wi-Fi connectivity.”

Travel Satisfaction — The vast majority of travelers are highly satisfied with their experiences—Mexico (81 percent) ranks at the top of the list, followed closely by the UK (75 percent), Canada, the U.S. and Australia (73 percent each). By comparison, Brazil (66 percent) and Germany (64 percent) gave more moderate ratings, and Japan gave the lowest ratings (49 percent).

Convenient Flight Schedules – Convenient flight schedules is the top consideration overall for travelers when booking a flight, and it is the most important to travelers in Japan (42 percent), the UK (40 percent) and Germany (38 percent).

Getting Through Security – Getting through security at the airport is the most painful process for travelers, regardless of country. It is of particular concern for travelers from Japan and Germany where only 39 percent of German travelers and 36 percent of Japanese say they are “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with the security process at the airport.

No Baggage Check Fees – No baggage check fees are significantly more important to travelers in the U.S. (41 percent) and Canada (36 percent) than all other countries.

Finding 3: Travelers are optimistic about the health of their industry, though less hopeful about the overall state of their country’s economy

When asked about the health of the economy – with the exception of Mexico (67 percent) – a minority of business travelers in other countries believe the overall health of their economy is excellent (35 percent or less “agree” or “strongly agree”). In particular, travelers from Brazil (23 percent) and Canada (22 percent) are the most pessimistic.

On the other hand, travelers tend to be more optimistic about the health of their industry than their country’s economy. More specifically, at least half of travelers from Mexico (65 percent), the U.S. (54 percent), the UK (52 percent) and Canada (50 percent) feel the overall health of their industry is excellent, compared to less than half of travelers from Australia (46 percent), Germany (43 percent) Brazil (41 percent), and Japan (36 percent).

In addition, travelers are fairly confident in the financial performance of their companies. When asked whether their company is in excellent financial shape, a majority of travelers globally agree (55 percent or higher); however, only 47 percent of Brazilian travelers and 39 percent of Japanese travelers and believe this to be the case.

Similarly, a majority of travelers across countries (about 60 percent or more on average), except Japanese travelers (41 percent), “agree” or “strongly agree” their company’s management feels that business travel is very important to the overall financial performance of their company.

Finding 4: The level of satisfaction in business travel varies widely by country.

Safety — Among the encouraging safety findings, travelers from Australia (73 percent) and Mexico (71 percent) are the most likely to feel business travel overall is very safe, followed by Canada, the UK and the U.S. (66 percent, 64 percent and 63 percent, respectively). Conversely, fewer travelers from Brazil, Germany and Japan feel the same level of safety when it comes to business travel (53 percent, 44 percent and 35 percent, respectively).

Location Technology – Location technologies like GPS navigational tools can aid travelers when traveling for business, in particular locating nearby services (e.g., stores, restaurants, service providers, etc.). Travelers globally expressed high interest in these tools. Interest is highest among travelers in Mexico (82 percent), Brazil (74 percent) and the U.S. (70 percent), compared to travelers in the other surveyed countries. Among travelers that gave a neutral or positive response, in general, they are most interested in using GPS to help locate restaurants, meeting venues, lodging and airports.

Social Media – Business travelers in Mexico and Brazil, the two Latin American countries included in this study, have had more success than travelers from other countries leveraging social media to connect with friends and colleagues when traveling for work, and finding reviews about suppliers.

À propos de l'indice
The GBTA Business Traveler Sentiment Index™, in partnership with American Express is a proprietary, data-centered barometer based on business travelers’ attitudes toward seven key components of business-related travel:

Composantes de l'indice, par ordre d'impact sur le GBTA Business Traveler Sentiment Index™ global, en partenariat avec American Express :

– Overall Trip Experience and Travel Friction – Business travelers’ attitudes toward air travel, hotel stays, and ground transportation.
– Expense Tracking and Management – Satisfaction with business travel expense management and tracking, and using credit or charge cards for business travel.
– Travel Management Policy Friction – Attitudes toward company travel policy management, flexibility and comprehension.
– Business Travel Safety – Looks at how safe business travelers feel when traveling and to what extent their employers, travel suppliers, and security officials care about their safety.
– Corporate/Macroeconomic Environment – Feelings about the current state of the health of the economy, the companies travelers work for and their industries.
– Technology for Business Travel – Opinions about technology’s impact on the business travel experience.
– Social Media Experience – Attitudes toward using social media while traveling for work, including finding or posting reviews of travel suppliers.

Pour consulter le sommaire exécutif du GBTA Business Traveler Sentiment Index™ – En un coup d'œil, veuillez cliquer ici.

Pour acheter le GBTA Business Traveler Sentiment Index™ complet, veuillez cliquer ici.

CONTACT: Colleen Gallagher, +1 703-236-1133, [email protected]
Scott Gerber, +1 202-463-0067, [email protected]

Méthodologie de l'enquête

The GBTA Business Traveler Sentiment Index™, in partner¬ship with American Express, was fielded March 17 to April 6, 2015, to business travelers within Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Japan, Mexico, the UK and the U.S. through an online research panel. Overall, 3,851 respondents qualified for the study (their pri¬mary residence is located in one of the eight countries, they are employed part- or full-time, and they have taken four or more business trips in the prior 12 months).

À propos de la Fondation GBTA

La Fondation GBTA est la fondation d'éducation et de recherche de la Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), la première organisation commerciale de voyages d'affaires et de réunions au monde dont le siège est situé dans la région de Washington, DC et qui opère sur six continents. Collectivement, les plus de 7 000 membres de GBTA gèrent chaque année plus de $345 milliards de dépenses mondiales de voyages d'affaires et de réunions. GBTA fournit son réseau croissant de plus de 28 000 professionnels du voyage et 125 000 contacts actifs avec une éducation, des événements, des recherches, des plaidoyers et des médias de classe mondiale. La Fondation a été créée en 1997 pour soutenir les membres de GBTA et l'industrie dans son ensemble. En tant que principale fondation d'éducation et de recherche dans l'industrie du voyage d'affaires, la Fondation GBTA cherche à financer des initiatives visant à faire progresser la profession du voyage d'affaires. La Fondation GBTA est une organisation à but non lucratif 501(c)(3). Pour plus d'informations, voir gbta.org et gbta.org/foundation.

À propos de l'Association mondiale des voyages d'affaires
La Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) est la première organisation commerciale de voyages d'affaires et de réunions au monde. Son siège social est situé dans la région de Washington, DC et elle opère sur six continents. Plus de 9 000 membres de GBTA gèrent chaque année plus de $345 milliards de dépenses mondiales de voyages d'affaires et de réunions. GBTA et la Fondation GBTA offrent une éducation, des événements, des recherches, des plaidoyers et des médias de classe mondiale à un réseau mondial en pleine croissance de plus de 28 000 professionnels du voyage et 125 000 contacts actifs. Pour savoir comment les voyages d'affaires stimulent la croissance durable des entreprises, gbta.org