A third of business travellers want a larger travel budget to meet the goals of their trip, according to a global traveller index report from GBTA.
The report showed the majority of travellers are ‘satisfied’ with the overall trip experience but listed several things including higher spend to meet objectives.
The Index is a data-centered barometer based on business travelers’ attitudes toward seven key components of business-related travel. It examines how business travelers feel about their travel experience and how those feelings affect their actual behaviors related to travel.
It shows more than three-quarters of business travellers say they are able to meet their goals on work trips but when asked what could be done to improve it, travellers responded: better wifi access (46 per cent), clearer objectives (42 per cent), more time with clients (40 per cent) and a larger budget to extend the trip (37 per cent).
When it comes to productivity, just over half (51 per cent) of business travelers prefer to spend flights doing something other than work.
“Business travel is the industry that drives all others, making it essential that companies equip their travelers with clear objectives and tools for success,” said Michael W. McCormick, GBTA executive director and COO.
“In an era of consolidation and record profits among travel suppliers, it is also imperative that they reinvest in the customer experience – innovative new products from all travel suppliers can lead to increased productivity for business travelers on the road, helping to drive continued business growth.”
Social media
The report found that compared to last year, more employees say using social media helps their ability to connect with work contacts, colleagues and friends when on the road, with millennials leading the way.
During work trips, 61 per cent of millennials and 50 per cent of all business travelers use social networks such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Xing or Mixi once or more per day for work-related purposes.
When it comes to mobile devices, in general, 72 per cent of Millennials and 64 per cent of all business travelers use mobile devices to check travel itineraries one or more times a day during trips, and 55 per cent of millennials and 44 per cent of all business travelers use them to check their expenses at least once a day while on the road.