As the Iran war drags on, geopolitical instability continues to weigh on travel buyers, according to a survey by the Business Travel Show Europe.
In a poll of 192 corporate travel and procurement professionals, conducted in April, 47 per cent identified geopolitical instability as their biggest challenge for 2026. This aligns with a recent GBTA poll that showed buyer optimism had dropped “sharply” since the outbreak of the Iran war [story continues below the chart].
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Source: Business Travel Show Europe
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As a result, duty of care and compliance pressures have also intensified, with 20 per cent of respondents citing risk volatility as a major challenge and a further 16 per cent noting increased compliance concerns.
Additionally, 36 per cent of survey respondents reported pressure from higher travel costs, while 25 per cent are struggling to balance travel demand with reduced budgets.
“This data aligns with wider industry sentiment that global instability is no longer a background risk but a daily operational variable,” said Louis Magliaro, executive VP of The BTN Group, which organises the Business Travel Show series.
“External volatility is reshaping strategy, cost inflation is redefining budgets, and traveller expectations are rising fast, making it tricky for travel programmes to adapt to demand,” he added.
The ongoing conflict – and subsequent price inflation – appears to have taken precedence over other areas of focus within managed travel, such as technology adoption and content distribution.
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It’s not polite to talk politics at work, but…
Check out these Business Travel Show Europe sessions.
- Forecasting Forum: What will drive travel costs next and how buyers can
control them
Thurs. 25 June @ 10:40 BTS Europe’s ever-popular analysis of air and hotel pricing returns, examining the global and industry-specific trends set to affect your travel budget for the year
ahead.
- New world disorder: How geopolitics are reshaping corporate travel programmes
Wed. 24 June @ 15:40 Expert speakers guide you through the big ppolitical and edonomic trends and what they mean for everything from traveller security to supplier relationships.
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According to the survey, only 9 per cent of buyers expressed concern about selecting an appropriate technology stack, while 12 per cent are focused on implementing AI in travel management, and 13 per cent are trying to better understand changes in content
distribution.
Cyber security and data privacy were not identified as challenges by any survey participants, indicating that travel managers may be overlooking or underestimating the potential risks involved.
Business Travel Show Europe will take place at the ExCeL exhibition centre in London on 24-25 June, alongside the TravelTech Show and The Meetings Show. Registration is now open.