Business travel managers will be put under increasing pressure to monitor their travellers’ spend in 2012, according to an HRG boss.
Stewart Harvey, the TMC’s group commercial director, said that as businesses will be looking to keep a tighter grip on costs, travel managers will be under pressure to focus more on authorising trips.
“Businesses are aiming for a firm handle on costs through advanced authorization,” said Harvey, adding that mobile control is a “high priority” for HRG’s clients.
“Responsibility for authorising travel typically falls to line-managers but, as they too are likely to be travellers, we expect to see increased demand for technologies which extend across desktop and mobile devices,” he added.
Harvey also said HRG is expecting companies to change the way they prioritise their travel spend next year.
“The economic outlook is driving companies to seek new business and this means prioritising markets with the healthiest prospects for growth,” he said.
“As a result organisations will not necessarily spend more or less on travel in 2012, but they will spend differently.”
He predicted companies will increase their use of video conferencing, and use the money saved to travel to emerging markets such as Brazil and India, “where the opportunity for new business is strongest”.
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