The global coronavirus crisis has brought business travel
almost to a halt, according to the latest survey from the GBTA.
In the fourth instalment of its coronavirus poll, 96 per
cent of GBTA members said they have cancelled and/or suspended all or most international
business travel regardless of location. Furthermore, four in five said they
have done the same for all or most domestic business trips (including 81 per
cent of those based in Europe and 84 per cent in the US).
Countries in Asia continue to be no-go areas, with members
saying they’ve stopped travel to China (99 per cent), Taiwan (98 per cent) and
other countries such as Japan, South Korea and Malaysia (97 per cent).
However, with the virus now spreading rapidly in Europe, 96
per cent said they had cancelled trips to and within Europe, followed by the
Middle East and Africa (95 per cent), Latin America (92 per cent), Canada (89
per cent) and the US (85 per cent).
But the cancellations do not seem to be a blanket company
policy for all members; only 41 per cent said their company had banned all
business travel, while 53 per cent said the suspension applied to non-essential
trips but allows some essential travel.
Regardless, survey participants estimated around 89 per cent
of business trips have been cancelled – double the estimate from the 10 March
poll, when only 43 per cent said they had seen cancellations.
Almost all respondents said they have cancelled (95 per
cent) or postponed (92 per cent) meetings, conference, or events due to the
outbreak, and only 31 per cent said these functions have been moved to other
locations.
Seven in ten members said their company has instituted new
business travel policies pertaining to trip approval – an increase of 15
percentage points since the last survey. The same number said they had updated
traveller safety policies.
Confidence for recovery following the pandemic seems to be
high, with more than half of the polled saying they expect travel to resume
within the next three (40 per cent) or six (17 per cent) months. However, 40
per cent said they can’t put an estimate on when people will start travelling again.
The virus’s financial toll was also apparent in the survey,
with seven in ten GBTA members describing the impact as “significant” and 94
per cent of suppliers saying the same.
GBTA COO and executive director Scott Solombrino commented: “The
coronavirus is having a devastating effect on the global business travel
industry the likes of which we have never seen. We urge [the US] Congress to
come together and pass a financial package that will help the industry survive
in these unprecedented times. The business travel industry is directly or
indirectly responsible for seven in ten jobs throughout the world. It is
imperative that Congress pass a responsible bill as soon as possible to save
the industry before its fate is sealed.”
The GBTA has put its name to several appeals from airlines, hotels and travel agencies for the US government to provide financial relief for the industry.