The latest monthly Covid barometer from the Global
Business Travel Association has revealed that more than half of corporate
travel buyers reported an increase in company travel spend in July compared with
the previous month, with 10 per cent saying that their spend had increased a
lot. Some 28 per cent said spend had remained the same.
The latest poll, taken from 9 to 19 August and answered by 678 people, also revealed that three quarters
of European respondents to the survey expect to see a moderate or significant increase
in levels of business travel in the September to November 2021 timeframe. Among
North American respondents, this figure is 51 per cent.
The rise of the delta variant of
Covid has reduced optimism in the business travel sector, however. Forty-four percent of
respondents felt the more infection strain would have a “very negative” impact,
while 37 per cent indicated it would have a “moderate” negative
impact.
“Business travel continues to make progress and show small gains on the
road to recovery. The delta variant has introduced a bit of a detour, at least for the near
term. With the support
of adequate risk mitigation, travellers continue getting back to business during a pandemic that is
not going away as quickly as hoped,” said Suzanne Neufang, CEO, GBTA. “The industry continues to be resilient, adaptable and committed to moving forward for safe
and responsible business travel for employees and
companies around the world.”