Dive Brief:
- Global business travel spending is expected to reach a record $1.71 trillion this year, a 7.2% year-over-year jump, driven by rising transportation and travel costs, according to a new report from the Global Business Travel Association.
- The 2026 GBTA Business Travel Index also found that the number of business trips is expected to surpass 1.84 billion in 2026, growing 1.3% from last year’s 1.82 billion.
- “While business travel spending continues to grow, the number of trips is rising more slowly,” GBTA CEO Suzanne Neufang said in a statement. “The big story this year is that companies haven’t stepped away from travel, but they are increasingly more selective and productivity-focused.”
Dive Insight:
GBTA’s report, which surveyed 4,700 business travelers across 66 global markets, found that the estimated 1.3% increase in trips in 2026 contrasts with the anticipated 7.2% rise in global spending, “underscoring the dampening effect of higher transportation and travel costs on business travel demand.”
“As business travel spending grows faster than trip volume, companies are placing greater emphasis on the value of every journey,” Edward Galvin, vice president and head of North America visa commercial solutions at GBTA, said in a statement.
In addition to companies prioritizing value, the forces shaping global business travel in 2026 include resilient economic growth, strong business investment, elevated transportation costs and heightened political uncertainty, according to the report.
GBTA previously said geopolitical instability has become “the most significant external risk influencing business travel decisions in 2026.” The April 2026 findings also identified growing pessimism among business travelers for the first three months of the year.
The Business Travel Index also found that in North America, artificial intelligence-related investment is “emerging as a significant driver of business travel growth.” Investments in digital infrastructure, data centers and enterprise technology deployment are fueling project-based demand, which presents unique opportunities for hotels such as extended stay.
Looking ahead, GBTA projects global business travel spending to surpass $2 trillion by 2030, “supported by sustained business investment and international commercial activity.”
