NEW YORK - Business travel will increase substantially in 2016 and trigger growth in the travel and hospitality industries according to a new report published by Frequent Business Traveler magazine.
Four out of ten business travelers surveyed said they will travel more in 2016 than last year, while more than half say they will travel more than they did two years ago.
The survey was conducted during the last quarter of 2015 in association with FlyerTalk, the world's largest online travel community, and Expert Flyer, a leading air travel information tool, and polled 1,900 frequent business travelers.
The report examines the following topics:
- Will business travel increase or decrease overall in 2016
- To what extent do loyalty programs influence purchase decisions by business travelers
- What health and lifestyle issues have a strong influence on travel decisions
- What are the key trends in technology that impact travel purchases
- How do business travelers view the use of social media when it comes to interacting with travel companies
Key findings of the survey include:
- Hotels and airlines typically fail to provide a consistent experience for travelers
- Business travelers are more loyal to airline programs than to hotel programs
- In-flight Wi-Fi on aircraft and free Wi-Fi at hotels continue to affect buying decisions
"Since business travel and business travelers are two key barometers of the economy, business travelers and their travel plans for the year serve as key economic indicators as well," said Jonathan Spira, Frequent Business Traveler magazine's editorial director. "Their continued optimism is clearly a positive sign but companies in the travel sector still have their work cut out for them."
