Travel management company CTM will launch a new Travel Programme Maturity Index at Business Travel Show Europe next week, with findings suggesting UK and European travel programmes are more advanced than their global counterparts.
Based on responses from 274 travel managers worldwide and qualitative interviews, the index assesses the maturity of corporate travel programmes and identifies the capabilities associated with higher performing operations.
European respondents scored an average of 45.6 out of 100, ahead of the global benchmark of 43.7. UK travel managers were also more likely to focus on strategy, optimisation and planning, with 38.9% reporting this as a priority compared with 22.7% globally.
The report, produced with input from Temoji Consulting, argues that the next challenge for travel programmes is improving how organisations connect systems, use data and adapt to changing business requirements, rather than focusing solely on compliance and control.
Eleanor Noonan, global COO and UK interim CEO at CTM, said: “The CTM Travel Programme Maturity Index shows corporate travel programmes are evolving from operational management toward strategic business enablement.”
While cost optimisation remains the leading priority for travel buyers (62.1%), traveller experience ranked a close second at 59.3%, highlighting a growing focus on balancing savings with employee needs.
The report also found that technology limitations, budget pressures, resource shortages and organisational silos remain the biggest barriers to programme development. Higher maturity programmes were more likely to integrate travel data across finance, HR, risk and operational functions, and spend more time on strategy than day-to-day issue resolution.
The full report will be available from CTM’s stand at Business Travel Show Europe on 24-25 June before being released more widely in July.
