Nearly 77% of Travel Leaders’ business-focused travel agents forecast bookings this year to either match or exceed 2011 bookings, according to the results of the franchise group's Travel Trends Survey.
Based on actual bookings as well as client feedback, 34.5% thought bookings would increase this year, while 42.2% predicted they would be the same.
Travel Leaders said the survey also revealed that more of Travel Leaders’ business travel clients are purchasing “front of the plane” seats in 2012: 58.9% of agents said that 11% or more of their bookings are in the front of the plane for 2012, compared with 31.8% of agents going into 2011.
“The most dramatic change in our survey data, compared to a year ago, has to do with first-class air travel," said Roger Block, president of Travel Leaders Franchise Group.
Block said that "a significant number" of Travel Leaders agents who focus specifically on business travel have indicated that a greater percentage of their business travel clients are purchasing either first- or business-class tickets, especially on international flights.
"That certainly is a very hopeful sign for the economy in this country,” Block said. "We are also encouraged by the data on the anticipated level of business travel in 2012. This is particularly welcome news given the ongoing economic challenges throughout the world — chiefly as it relates to eurozone countries and the impact their financial solutions may have worldwide. At this time, we are very pleased with the indicators we are seeing.”
Not surprisingly, the survey found that more business travelers are taking advantage of smartphone technology while they travel.
More than 81% reported that at least 10% of their business travel clients use electronic boarding passes, while nearly 41% indicated that over 50% of their business travelers use electronic boarding passes.
Conducted Nov. 21 to Dec. 16, the survey was based on responses from 275 Travel Leaders owners, managers and frontline travel experts throughout the U.S. who identified that 50% or more of their portfolio consists of business travel clients.
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