Forty percent of businesses plan to increase their travel in FY25 (July to June), while 42% of customers intend to increase their travel spend versus last year, according to a landmark State of the Market survey for Flight Centre Corporate.
Utilising the innovative Qualtrics platform to survey its customers directly, the business received a random sample of more than 500 responses from flagship brands FCM Travel and Corporate Traveller spanning the globe and providing what it says is a true reflection of travel intentions worldwide.
Overall, 10% of customers surveyed intend to travel more than 20% more; 30% plan to increase by up to 20% more; 35% believe the amount of travel will be the same; with only 10% anticipating a reduction.
As for intention to spend, 6% of customers surveyed plan on spending over 20% more on their travel; 36% intend to increase by up to 20% more; 31% believe the amount spent will be similar versus last year; while only 11% anticipate reducing.
“Corporate travel is now, without question, deemed to be a non-discretionary spend for businesses as a critical facet to surviving and thriving across the globe – evidenced by a significant percentage of our customers planning to increase their travel volume and spend on travel,” says Melissa Elf, global COO of Flight Centre Corporate. “These figures paint a positive picture for the world of business travel going forward and will create flow-on effects for a multitude of destinations as corporates continue to utilise the ‘bleisure’ trend of adding on a holiday to the beginning or end of their trips.”
Bonnie Smith, GM of FCM and Corporate Traveller in South Africa, adds: “Understanding how much our clients plan to travel for business in 2025 and what they intend to spend provides valuable insights into the needs of business travellers as a community. In South Africa, high demand and limited availability are particular challenges.
“To prepare for 2025, companies should focus on controlling rising travel costs by adjusting budgets and negotiating better rates,” Smith says. “Booking early and exploring alternative travel options can help manage these challenges. If you’re not working with a TMC, now is the time to start. A TMC can help streamline your travel management, optimise costs, and effectively navigate these challenges.”