Predicted business travel trends for 2023

The business travel sector hasn’t had it easy recently. They’ve been hit by a double whammy of financial stresses. Not only did they have to deal with the grounding of flights, but they’re also still dealing with the consequences of the global workforce transitioning to ‘working from home’ - which seemingly has no end in sight. Both these events have caused a ripple effect in terms of business travel, and no doubt changed which trends will appear during the year. Here’s what we think 2023 will look like for business travel:

Smart and sustainable travel 

The pandemic gave the global population of at-home workers and the travel industry time to revaluate business travel, especially new ways to approach it and keep sustainability at the forefront. In 2023, smart and sustainable travel will no doubt be the priority for both businesses and employees. One promising emerging way to travel more efficiently and sustainably is getting places fast via private jet like the challenger 350, a form of transport that can reduce total lifecycle CO₂ emissions by over 85% compared to conventional jet fuel. 

Safety measures 

The chaotic scenes in airports at the start of the covid-19 pandemic (and during it) reminded senior executives of the importance to protect the traveling workforce. And two years since the pandemic began, the major shift toward traveler well-being and duty of care has stayed put. To protect travelers who need to fly for work, as well as boost the confidence of workers who still need more empathetic policies and hands-on support to return to travel, many safety measures will no doubt continue to be placed front and center, for example, choosing a flight based on the safety measures available, and taking a private transfer to the airport rather than public transport.

A focus on relocation

Relocating to smaller premises to cut costs is set to be a huge part of 2023, especially as more permanent hybrid contracts come into play. Yet while businesses will start downsizing their office spaces, there will also be an increase in renting larger temporary office spaces for global in-person meetings that just can’t be taken over Teams.

An increase in face-to-face meetings

Speaking of in-person meetings, this year they’re predicted to come back in force. Findings from the 12th edition of American Express Meetings and Events' Global Meetings and Events Forecast predict that the number of physical presence events will return to pre-pandemic levels within one to two years, while total spending on meetings and events will also increase in 2023. Even though online meetings became a lifeline during the pandemic, employers have since realized the advantages of face-to-face meetings, including creating stronger business relationships, achieving more productivity, and of course, removing connectivity issues.

As the new year starts getting underway, there’s no doubt we’ll begin to see these business travel trends begin to unfold. But if it’s anything like 2020, we also know that anything could happen in the sector, so we’ll still be keeping our eyes peeled.