Research reveals UK business travellers are keen to travel again

New research commissioned by SAP Concur, a US-based SaaS company providing integrated travel and expense management services, shows that 99% of business travellers in the UK are willing to travel in the next 12 months. Of the 300 business travellers and 100 travel managers surveyed across the UK, SAP Concur found that 55% of travel managers believe their role is less stressful compared to 12 months ago and 98% of business travellers are keen to travel again. Although 45% of business travellers miss feeling the “normalcy” of business travel, many participants noted multiple concerns about its return. For 54% of participants, the top perceived threats to business travel include health and safety concerns from Covid-19, 48% worried about the cost of oil prices and inflation, and a further 42% were concerned about the conflict in Eastern Europe. SAP Concur’s survey results also reveal that 83% of respondents believe their company has returned to pre-pandemic levels of business travel but with a smaller group of travellers. The research also showed that many travellers are uncertain about the amount of business travel they are expected to do, as 28% of those dissatisfied with their travel frequency stated that they will search for a job if their company’s travel continues at its current pace. Travel managers also noticed this trend, with 60% of those surveyed stating that staffing changes will make their jobs challenging over the next 12 months. Business travellers also reported an inclination to refuse trips, with 49% surveyed stating that they would decline if there were safety concerns about travelling to certain parts of the world. Sustainability was an important factor to those surveyed, with 95% stating the importance of having sustainability information for each travel option available when booking business travel, including visual indicators of a trip’s environmental impact such as labels or greenhouse gas emissions To reduce the environmental impact of business travel, 56% of travellers stated that they would change their transportation actions over the next 12 months. Commenting on the report’s findings, Ami Taylor, senior director global product strategy at SAP Concur said: “Companies will need to take initiative with safeguarding and supporting their employees, all the while adhering to new policies and approvals to meet the sustainability agenda.”