More than 60 per cent of German companies believe they will be taking about a third fewer business trips going forward.
The latest Barometer from business travel buyer organisation VDR revealed that virtual alternatives to travel have shown they work.
The survey also revealed concern from 96 per cent of buyers around rising costs while 89 per cent believe increased bureaucracy is more or very likely.
Further insights revealed that 82 per cent of buyers are focusing more on traveller safety and 92 per cent said they will examine the need to travel more carefully in the future.
This will likely aid corporate sustainability efforts and a further study from VDR revealed that 45 per cent have formulated a sustainability strategy that includes mobility while a further 47 per cent plan to develop one.
Despite the challenges around rising costs, bureaucracy and sustainability, business travel has been steadily picking up according to the Barometer.
It revealed that by the middle of 2021, a third of VDR members had hit 25 per cent of 2019’s level of business trips.
Fast forward to 2022 and the German buyers say the level is 50 per cent of trips compared with 2019. In addition, 71 per cent of companies that only permit business trips in exceptional cases look set to ease policies further according to the survey.
Christoph Carnier, president of VDR, said: “Business trips remain indispensable, because many things can be arranged more easily in a personal exchange. But it remains to be seen whether the level of 2019 will be reached again.”
The view echoes recent comments by Sebastien Bazin, CEO of Accor, who said during a recent earnings call that a 20 per cent decline in business travel "could last forever."