UK-based SMEs continue to prioritise international business travel despite ongoing disruption in the Middle East, according to research conducted by Travel Counsellors for Business.
A survey of 1,000 small and medium-sized businesses in the UK revealed that 67 per cent expressed confidence in travelling abroad for business and 39 per cent intend to increase international trips over the next 12 months.
According to the study, SMEs that do plan to grow international travel are doing so to target new business opportunities (38 per cent), meet new suppliers or manufacturers (35 per cent) and attend overseas events and conferences (31 per cent).
With that intent to travel comes increased investment, with nearly two-thirds (62 per cent) of SME respondents stating they expect to spend more on overseas trips during the next year; only 10 per cent said they anticipate spending less. Average projected spend has also climbed, according to Travel Counsellors, from £43,000 in 2024 to £57,000.
According to Travel Counsellors' booking data, UK corporate sales have increased 6.1 per cent year-on-year over the past four weeks, powered by a 6.9 per cent rise in average booking value, which the TMC said indicates a shift towards higher-value trips.
The Travel Counsellors findings diverge sharply from a recent GBTA poll of 500 travel buyers globally that found optimism about business travel fell from 59 per cent in January to 39 per cent in April. In that poll, Europe was the only region where pessimism outweighed optimism for business travel.
Travel Counsellors for Business director Melanie Quinn said: “What we’re seeing is not a slowdown in business travel, but a shift in how it’s approached. SMEs are continuing to invest in travel because they recognise the value of face-to-face interaction – but they’re doing so more carefully, with greater focus on risk, flexibility and return on investment.
“We’re also seeing businesses adapt how they travel – whether that’s re-routing journeys or prioritising destinations where they feel more confident."
Travel Counsellors' data shows bookings via Middle Eastern hubs are down 85 per cent year-on-year and alternative routing via Asia is up 166 per cent. Demand for the US is up 17 per cent and Australia is up 61 per cent. Similar changes in travel behaviour were noted in GBTA’s survey.
Travel Counsellors, which was ranked as the 12th largest TMC in the UK in BTN Europe’s Leading TMCs 2025 report, also noted that SMEs are demonstrating "a more deliberate and risk-aware approach to travel planning". More than a quarter (26 per cent) of SMEs are now avoiding certain regions or routes and 55 per cent indicated they're less willing to send employees to the Middle East, according to the TMC’s survey data.
More than two-thirds (68 per cent) of SMEs expect to travel to Europe most frequently in the next year, and 40 per cent said they are more likely to send colleagues there "in light of current geopolitical uncertainty."
Finally, Travel Counsellors noted that flexibility is proving to be the second leading factor (33 per cent) in purchasing behaviour, behind cost (45 per cent) and ahead of ability to adapt plans quickly in response to disruption (32 per cent).