There has been a large rise in the number of buyers allowing employees to book travel independently, according to the results of the annual buyer survey commissioned by the Business Travel Show.
Nearly two-thirds (62%) of buyers promoted independent booking among their travellers, a jump from 36 per cent in 2013 and just 9 per cent in 2012.
The Business Travel Show said the figure represents a “massive shift in attitude and policy” over the previous two years.
“This move towards more traveller freedom and taking a step back from mandatory compliance is in line with an overarching industry shift towards traveller, rather than travel, management and an increasing focus on traveller wellbeing and responsible travel management,” said Business Travel Show event director, David Chapple.
The study of 179 travel buyers also showed of the 62 per cent, 51 per cent insist travellers book within policy, 11 per cent do not. Despite this, the number of travellers who never book outside policy increased from 12 per cent to 14 per cent.
According to the study the top three methods used by buyers to drive compliance are:
- The adoption of preferred suppliers - 71 per cent
- Educational awareness among travellers - 53 per cent
- The use of online tools - 57 per cent
Some 9 per cent of buyers issue penalties to travellers who do not comply and 26 per cent incentivise travellers to book cheaper travel solutions with the budgets they are given.
Further survey results:
30 per cent of buyers now have a social media policy in place for travellers and 8 per cent plan to introduce one in the next 12 months.
49 per cent of buyers feel that their organisations do not invest enough in traveller feedback: 36 per cent of buyers don’t collect any data from travellers and 19 per cent never consult travellers for their feedback
Surveys are the most popular method of collecting data (49 per cent), followed by suggestion boxes and review websites. 50 per cent of buyers collect feedback at least annually.
BBT is the media partner of The Business Travel Show 2015. The event will be held on February 25-26 at the Olympia Grand, London.