The number of corporate travellers in EMEA has almost
doubled quarter on quarter, according to new research published by travel
management company FCM.
FCM EMEA data for the second quarter of 2021 showed
a 93 per cent increase in travellers from the previous quarter, with the
majority of the uplift attributed to intra-European growth.
In the second quarter, the EMEA region continued to
open up air travel, growing frequency and city pair volumes with an additional 53
million seats compared to first quarter 2021 volumes.
The growth in demand has fed through to average
ticket prices, which have increased by 32 per cent on the first quarter.
FCM said that bookings data from the quarter also
showed "the beginnings of recovery and steady growth in hotel
occupancy levels and demand across EMEA".
It said occupancy in the UK reached 65 per cent, up
from a low of just 10 per cent in January 2021.
Advance bookings for September 2021 and beyond are
only 5 per cent down on the same period in 2019, as confidence grows, the TMC said. FCM also
reports that booking windows are lengthening. In the first quarter, 85 per cent
of bookings were made within seven days of arrival, which dropped to 20 per
cent in the second quarter.
Despite the rise in demand, average room rates are
still well down on pre-Covid levels in key business destinations. London rates
are down 34 per cent, Berlin 31 per cent and Johannesburg 34 per cent. This is
in contrast to leisure-focused destinations where rates are up 50 per cent in
some cases; rates in Paris are up 4.8 per cent.