Travel booking confidence among corporate buyers in the not-for-profit sector is expected to remain strong in 2014, according to TMC Key Travel.
In its annual client survey more than 85 per cent expect their travel budgets to either increase or stay the same over the next year.
The report surveyed more than 1,650 workers in the not-for-profit sector. It was carried out to gain insight into the trends, buying behaviours, travel policy awareness, risk management and service expectations across the industry.
The study from Key Travel, which is a TMC solely for the not-for-profit sector, found an increase in the number of people preferring to book their travel online as online bookings rose to 28 per cent, up from 15 per cent the previous year.
The study also found almost half of not-for-profit business travellers had no destination and risk management briefing prior to travel.
The number of respondents who know their organisation has a travel policy increased slightly from 80 per cent last year to 82 per cent in 2014. Some 98 per cent of respondents said they understood the policy and how it applies to them.
Key travel said “this shows a trend towards more control and a greater emphasis on organisational enforcement of procurement policies”.
In the past 12 months 48 per cent reported having to book work-related travel outside of office hours two or more times, reflecting the often immediate and unpredictable nature of humanitarian and missionary travel within the sector.
Key Travel’s CEO Spence Knudson, said: “We regard these findings as an extremely valuable tool not only for us, but for the travel sector.”
The study is the sixth annual survey directed at charity organisations, the faith sector, universities and colleges and government related organisations.