A sponsored viewpoint article by Debra Glover, Head of Corporate Solution Sales, UK & Ireland at Amadeus
What innovation will make the biggest impact on travel management in the next 12 months?
Artificial intelligence in business travel is going to become the norm. Applications will create value at all stages of the whole traveller journey; from selection of relevant flight options based on travellers' preferences and habits to dynamic policy rules.
We believe it will also impact the way travel is currently managed. Thanks to machine learning, travel managers will be able to infer the effects of a policy rule modification before actually implementing it. In addition, smart modules will provide them with smarter insight to better achieve their objectives.
How will business travel look in 2022?
Business travel is going to become a whole lot less stressful for the traveller. At the booking stage they'll be no need to scroll through countless results to find the most suitable and in policy options. The most relevant one, based on habits and preferences, will be proposed to the users. In addition, the content will be enriched with comments and tips from other colleagues knowledgeable about the destination.
Secondly, before the trip; applications will be there to guide you through the preparation of your trip, from suggestions about what to pack (should I take my umbrella?) to help with visa applications and passport renewals.
Thirdly, during the trip; relevant information will be sent to travellers about their destination. When you land, applications can suggest directions and currency advice to first time visitors. In addition, the hassle of expenses will be over. Thanks to innovative payment solutions, travellers will be able to focus on the business outputs on their trips, and not on admin tasks.
What will have will have the biggest impact for buyers in 2022?
With artificial intelligence travel managers will have a better view of their travellers behaviours, and how policies can help them achieve their objectives. Through the use of dynamic rules, recommendations will be automatically generated and sent to the travel managers, who can then decide to apply them or not.
And with improvements to machine learning, travel managers will be able to set objectives in the tools (budget, number of bookings per airline etc) and be able to adapt their policies in real time.
Travel managers will have more time to focus on additional criteria, like the well-being of their travellers. New indicators will enter the scene so travel managers can monitor the level of stress levels of their travellers at all stages of their trips.
What will the business traveller look like in 2022?
Thanks to innovations like these, we believe that business travellers will be less stressed and a lot more confident when they're visiting a new destination. They can focus on the business reason of their trip, which would mean even greater ROI for their companies.