Suzanne Neufang is the CEO of the Global Business Travel Association
For organisations across the globe, 2026 so far has brought new concerns about rising costs, ever-present geopolitical tensions and ongoing operational friction – and along with it, a continued evaluation of why and how we travel for work.
Nearly eight in 10 industry stakeholders cite global instability and conflict as their top travel-related risk now, according to GBTA’s latest industry poll of more than 500 corporate travel managers, suppliers and intermediaries worldwide. But what is clear is that organisations still want to meet, collaborate and innovate. The result, as yet, of those concerns has not been a broad pullback on business travel but rather a deliberate, carefully managed approach.
Managed travel is the difference between a risk- and cost-controlled travel programme and a less structured approach that can leave both people and budgets vulnerable in an increasingly volatile environment. The business travel professionals who shape and manage these travel programmes are more important than ever to keeping travellers safe, navigating risk and disruption, and influencing budgets so organisations and people can continue to connect in person.
External pressures, yet signs of resilience in managed business travel
External risks are increasingly influencing business travel decisions and driving a deliberate approach. A great majority of buyers (84 per cent) and travel management company and supplier poll respondents (79 per cent) cited geopolitical instability and conflict as a top travel-related risk, making it the industry’s leading concern globally over the next year. While that number is slightly less pronounced among US respondents (68 percent), it’s still a leading concern for Americans, too.
Compared to January of this year, more organisations now anticipate a decline in overall travel volume. Twenty-eight per cent of travel buyers now expect their trip volume to decrease in 2026 compared to 2025. That’s considerably more than the 16 per cent who said the same in January.
Twenty-two per cent expect a decrease in spend. While spend and volume show a variance, the difference can be explained as the effects of price inflation and fuel price increases. The implication is that organisations may be taking fewer trips, but investing more in each one.
Despite broad industry concerns, business travel activity is expected to grow or remain stable through 2026. Forty-three per cent of buyers now expect travel spending to increase and 33 per cent expect it to remain stable in 2026, representing over three-fourths of corporate programmes.
More selective meeting and events travel
Deliberate business travel is reshaping meetings and events planning, too. More than half of buyers (56 per cent) said their organisation changed its meetings or events strategy over the first three months of this year.
This includes shifting some meetings or events to virtual formats (26 per cent), cancelling meetings or events (24 per cent), reducing employee event attendance (24 per cent) and relocating meetings to different markets (22 per cent).
Rather than retreating from in-person interaction, however, organisations are refining how, where and when they bring people together, aligning travel decisions closely with business priorities and risk considerations.
The travel manager’s increasing importance in strategy and innovation
When emergencies arise, focus changes. Thus, with added travel programme and traveller risks arising since March, the role of travel managers is growing more essential.
Seven in 10 buyers (70 per cent) said the travel management function becomes more important during periods of disruption, with responsibilities more aligned to leadership, risk management and enterprise decision-making. The vast majority report increased involvement in traveller safety, policy changes, crisis response and meetings decision-making.
To help them meet new organisational requirements, buyers are leveraging artificial intelligence to operate more strategically. Two in five buyers (41 per cent) report that their organisation is proactively implementing AI use cases within their travel programmes, while another 28 per cent are leveraging AI embedded in existing travel tools.
Those figures will increase moving forward, as buyers view AI as a critical enabler and are prioritising building AI and automation skills (37 per cent) to drive better reporting, pricing insight, spend forecasting and more informed decision-making. However, data/privacy/security concerns are a hurdle for many (47 per cent), and stand out as the biggest barrier to faster development and adoption.
While many challenges of 2026 seem new or multiplied from years past, the commitment to travel for its ability to drive business forward remains steady. This is a pivotal moment for the industry, as times of uncertainty require a deliberate approach, something we see reflected in our poll.
For our industry to survive and ultimately thrive during times of uncertainty, those who manage and supply travel for work need to get and keep their seat at the strategic table.
After all, didn’t we learn keen lessons about “essential travel” just six years ago?
Thus, it’s critical that our approach to getting through these moments of uncertainty include a willingness to collaborate, an ever-learning and -experimenting attitude, and strategic problem-solving on both the buy and supply side of our industry.