2020 is the year in which Millennials are estimated to make up around half of the world’s global workforce. Surveys indicate that they have a higher propensity to travel for business than other age groups. They are also the first generation to have grown up with technology and the availability of low-cost air travel – what one low-cost carrier is keen to label, the ‘Easyjet generation’. So what are the top business travel trends for 2020 and how will they influence international corporate travel in the future?
Technology
For Millennials, the mobile phone is an essential and wi-fi is not negotiable. They are used to living every aspect of life online, and social media and apps are a way of life, not an optional extra. When it comes to choosing a corporate travel management company, therefore, it is important to make sure that online booking systems are user-friendly. Travelworx allows its customers to manage all of their corporate travel needs online, making sure that it is easy to plan, book and amend travel arrangements. At one time, it was thought that the development of technologies such as video-conferencing would make business travel redundant, however, it is now clear that face-to-face meetings will always play a significant role. International corporate travel remains essential, but so is the need to ensure that it is as efficient as possible, not just in terms of cost but also in terms of its impact on the environment.
Low-cost business travel
Millennials have not grown up with the idea of air travel as a luxury or the expectation that they require additional levels of comfort as a business traveller. For this generation, no-frills is the norm and having an authentic experience is often more important than staying in a 5-star hotel. An experienced corporate travel management company such as Travelworx can assist you in finding out what is important to your employees and working with you to provide this, whilst keeping your costs low. Travelworx has the flexibility to work with everyone from low-cost carriers to luxury hotels.
Bleisure Travel
It may be rather an unattractive term, but ‘bleisure’ the blending of business and leisure travel is here to stay. These days, with the rise of working from home, the tyranny of email and the increase in flexible hours, the boundaries between work and leisure have become increasingly blurred. This isn’t a problem for Millennials, who have responded by combining business travel with leisure. Often this takes the form of adding a couple of days on to the end of a business trip.
The Environment
Environmental awareness may well be the biggest change which lies ahead for business travel. It is also the first time that we are really feeling the impact of Generation Z. The impact of its preeminent spokesperson, Greta Thunberg, is unprecedented. Over many years, we have become used to the notices in hotel bathrooms, urging us to consider the environment before putting our towels to be washed, but it is clear now that this was a tiny baby step compared to the changes ahead. At the end of 2019, Easyjet announced that it would be offsetting carbon emissions from all of its flights and this is almost certainly the start of new levels of engagement for big business. A business travel management company such as Travelworx can help your company to develop a corporate travel strategy which takes into account environmental concerns as well as other issues.
Top business travel trends for 2020: Flexibility
The increasing role which technology plays in business as a whole and in travel in particular, has had the effect of making things easier, better, and more flexible. Corporate travellers expect flexible solutions, which is one reason why it is very important to work with a business travel management company such as Travelworx, which is used to dealing with last-minute changes and amendments to itineraries. Business life now takes place at all times of the day and night and many global businesses work to a rolling international timeline, which is why Travelworx has a team of corporate travel experts on call 24/7 to deal with emergencies, amendments and last-minute changes.
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