Enterprise Journey Trade Kicks Off 2025 with Optimism Amid Evolving Challenges, In accordance with Newest GBTA Ballot

Outcomes spotlight progress in journey quantity and spend; AI consciousness, sustainability adoption and workforce shifts additionally amongst key findings

Professionals within the enterprise journey trade stay up for an engaged and productive yr, in accordance with the primary Enterprise Journey Outlook Ballot of 2025, launched right this moment by the World Enterprise Journey Affiliation (GBTA). Whereas shifting financial circumstances, geopolitical issues and technology-driven adjustments proceed to be areas of uncertainty, the ballot outcomes present an general optimistic trade trajectory with nearly half (48%) of journey consumers anticipating their corporations to take extra enterprise journeys in 2025, and practically 20% extra (57%) anticipating elevated journey spending this yr.

Different findings round NDC, expertise and AI integration, company sustainability commitments, workforce and hiring challenges, and developments in office expectations level to an modern and inclusive trade that continues to advance and adapt.

“As enterprise journey continues to evolve, journey professionals should navigate a panorama formed by expertise transformation, geopolitical elements and sustainability imperatives,” mentioned Suzanne Neufang, CEO, GBTA. “The yr’s first ballot underscores an optimistic but measured strategy as corporations steadiness progress with strategic investments in innovation, workforce wants and sustainability efforts.”

Now in its thirty sixth version, the ballot displays responses from nearly 800 enterprise journey professionals worldwide, providing important insights into the traits, challenges and future expectations for world enterprise journey. Listed below are a number of the key findings from the 2025 Q1 GBTA Enterprise Journey Trade Outlook Ballot (notice all financial figures are in USD):

Trying Again: Enterprise Journey Beneficial properties Momentum as a Complete…

2024 was a great yr for enterprise journey, with seven in ten (71%) journey consumers reporting a rise of their firm’s enterprise journey bookings in comparison with 2023. This result’s even higher than the sooner projections reported in GBTA’s January 2024 Outlook Ballot, when practically three in 5 (60%) journey consumers anticipated extra enterprise journey within the upcoming yr.

Enterprise journey spending was additionally greater in 2024 than anticipated, with practically 4 in 5 consumers (77%) indicating their firm’s spend elevated final yr. Comparatively, two-thirds (67%) of consumers anticipated a rise when requested at the beginning of 2024.

… However There Are Regional Variations

North America (NORAM) led the best way with progress in 2024 with 4 in 5 (81%) journey consumers there reporting their enterprise journey spend elevated final yr.

Asia Pacific (APAC) led world enterprise journey spend progress final yr, with greater than three in 4 (78%) consumers from that area reporting the next quantity of journeys in comparison with 2023 – together with 30% who noticed a big enhance.

Trying Forward: 2025 Enterprise Journey Predictions

Regionally, anticipated enterprise journey spending varies, however is optimistic general with 48% predicting extra quantity and 57% extra spend in 2025 vs. 2024. APAC journey consumers replicate essentially the most optimism with 63% indicating they’re planning to spend “extra” or “much more” in 2025, adopted by NORAM journey consumers at 57%.

European consumers are considerably extra cautious relating to each anticipated journey quantity and spend. One-third (37%) of European consumers count on elevated journey quantity – the bottom of any area – whereas totally half (50%) anticipate “extra” or “much more” spending. On the cautious aspect, practically one in 5 (19%) foresee a decline of their firm’s enterprise journey quantity in 2025.

Half of consumers from NORAM (50%) are optimistic about their firm’s enterprise journey quantity and say their firm is planning “extra” or “much more” journeys this yr.

Journey consumers count on gross sales and account administration journeys will account for greater than one-quarter (27%) of their firm’s journey spend on common. Different anticipated key forms of journey embody inner firm conferences (21%), conferences and commerce exhibits (14%) and repair journeys (13%).

Key Trade Traits & Challenges for 2025

Even with anticipated progress in enterprise journey this yr, ballot outcomes point out corporations stay value aware and selective when making enterprise journey selections. Moreover, the trade continues to prioritize expertise and AI integration, whereas sustainability and workforce-related efforts are shaping company journey insurance policies. And though hybrid work stays the dominant journey trade office mannequin, specifically for purchaser corporations, extra corporations will implement stricter return-to-office insurance policies in 2025.

Particularly:

• For journey applications, AI adoption stays gradual with solely 34% of consumers saying their program plans to include AI in important methods this yr.

• Practically one-third (30%) of consumers are reevaluating or altering their Journey Administration Firm (TMC) in 2025, with 4 in ten (39%) citing dissatisfaction with TMC expertise and 37% citing service high quality issues as key causes. Moreover, one-fifth (20%) point out their TMC’s problem with NDC bookings as a motive they’re contemplating a change.

• One-third (33%) of consumers count on elevated funding in planet-focused sustainable journey practices, with APAC (55%) and Europe (46%) main these efforts. In the meantime, 29% of corporations plan to extend assist for people-focused initiatives, although 25% of consumers are unaware of their firm’s people-focused initiatives.

• The client-side of the enterprise journey trade’s hiring panorama stays aggressive with simply 16% of journey consumers planning so as to add employees inside their journey applications in 2025.

• However, journey provider, TMC and tech corporations are hiring, with 4 in 10 (41%) provider and TMC respondents planning so as to add employees this yr. Nonetheless, NORAM lags, with one-third (35%) of provider/TMC respondents anticipating their firm so as to add employees this yr, in comparison with nearly half (45%) of European suppliers and TMCs.

• Respondents from all areas say key limitations dealing with the complete trade to find certified candidates in 2024 included unattractive salaries (54%), insufficient budgets for brand spanking new roles (40%) and a rising demand for distant work (42%), which is a direct distinction with efforts by some firms to restrict distant positions. Notably, practically half (47%) of provider/TMC respondents cite distant work preferences as a key barrier, indicating a widening hole between workforce expectations and employer insurance policies (see beneath).

• Distant work insurance policies proceed to evolve. Regardless that half (51%) of GBTA stakeholders say their corporations haven’t modified their insurance policies from 2024, one-third (32%) report their corporations have made do business from home (WFH) insurance policies stricter by requiring workers to be within the workplace extra typically. Provider/TMC respondents (34%) are about equally seemingly as consumers (31%) to say their firm carried out stricter WFH insurance policies over the previous yr. Nonetheless, suppliers and TMCs had stricter insurance policies to start with, as proven in final January’s GBTA Enterprise Journey Outlook Ballot.

• Hybrid work schedules are most prevalent in Europe, the place greater than three-quarters (77%) of enterprise journey professionals report their firm has a hybrid work coverage for 2025, adopted by APAC (62%), LATAM (58%) and NORAM (51%).

Methodology

A complete of 786 responses have been obtained by GBTA from world journey consumers, suppliers and different trade professionals throughout North America, Europe, Latin America and Asia Pacific between January 21-31, 2025.

View the full thirty sixth GBTA ballot outcomes and key highlights, together with the full sequence of GBTA Enterprise Journey Trade Outlook polls.