New survey reveals business travellers’ top concerns

A new survey by SAP Concur has revealed the most pressing issues to business travellers. It found that more than three in four female travellers have suffered sexual harassment while travelling, and more than one in two have changed their plans because of safety concerns. It also found that 95% of LGBTQ+ travellers have hidden their sexual orientation while on a business trip, with the most common reason being to protect their safety. An overwhelming majority of business travellers (94%) were willing to share personal information to improve their business travel experience. The survey found that millennials are more sensitive to current events – in the last 12 months, 42% of business travellers in this age range have reduced travel to a location because of political unrest or health hazards, compared to 36% of Gen Xers and 23% of Baby Boomers. 67% believe their company lags behind when it comes to adopting the latest technologies to make business travel easier, while 37% of business travellers said they feel the most stress before a trip when they’re planning, booking and organising travel. The study was conducted across 19 global markets and had a sample size of 7850 business travellers. Mike Koetting, Chief Product Strategy Officer, SAP Concur, commented: “Societal issues and employee experiences are increasingly impacting the way we travel. With these shifts come new expectations from traveling employees that shouldn’t go unnoticed. “While companies continue to try and maximize traveller satisfaction, the reality is that employees are hungry for more empathy, guidance and better technology as they run into both common frustrations and unique individual concerns, leaving room for improvement among organizations of all sizes.”