Nearly two-thirds of member corporate travel managers surveyed this month by the Global Business Travel Association believe their organizations' employees now are ready to travel for business, the highest figure by a good margin recorded in the monthly surveys the association has conducted in the past six months.
About 53% of 332 buyer respondents to the April 12 to 17 poll indicted they believed their organizations were "somewhat willing" to travel for work, with an additional 12% marking travelers as "very willing." Combined, that 65% indicating at least some willingness is up from 55% each in February and March.
Respondents were surveyed after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on April 2 that travelers fully vaccinated for Covid-19 "can travel safely within the United States" without the self-quarantine or test for the coronavirus, unless their destination requires it. About 64% of respondents said that updated guidance made them personally "somewhat" or "much more comfortable" about the possibility of business travel, and 52% projected the move would have "some" or "major" influence on their companies' timeline to restart travel. About 15% indicated the CDC's move would have "no influence at all."
Less travel, more duties
Meanwhile, about 57% of respondents indicated their job responsibilities have changed as a result of the pandemic, and 66% of them said they have more. About 48% of those who said their responsibilities changed noted their companies now have more people and departments involved in decisions regarding travel policy, and 19% indicated that their organizations now require broader levels of approval to change policy. Respondents were permitted to select more than one answer.
Source: Business Travel News