CWT, in its forecast of key business travel trends for 2013, predicts consumer-influenced technology, such as mobile apps, will find its way to corporate travel.
The travel management company said it has developed traveller-focused tools based on “mobile”, “social” and “local” principles to meet this trend, including CWT To Go, Hotel Intel, a private hotel review site for business travellers, and the newly acquired WorldMate.
To illustrate its Business Travel Trends outlook for 2013 CWT uses an infographic (download PDF version here), which highlights the developments likely to impact business travel in the year ahead, from ancillary fees to inflation and Zhōng Guó (China). A sample:
- Ancillary fees on top of fares and rates will be watched closely by travel managers in all areas of the programme (air, hotel and ground transportation) and leveraged in negotiations.
- Brazil, India and China will continue driving growth in business travel spend, at almost twice the world average
- Inflation may hit travel prices modestly overall, with increases of well under 5% except in Asia Pacific (car rental) and Latin America (hotel rates).
- New virtual agents or “avatars” provided by airlines, airports and TMCs will assist travellers with booking, check- in and other questions.
- Technology will be the traveller’s best friend, with mobile/WiFi connectivity and a growing range of business travel apps making travel smoother and more productive
- GenX-ers, take note! Y generation business travellers are by nature social, mobile and keen to manage their travel and expenses while on the go.
- Zhōng Guó (China): foreign global distribution systems (GDSs) will be authorized to sell non-Chinese airline content, following the government’s decision to relax regulation. Changes will take time to implement.
Patrice Simon, CWT’s head of innovation said, “For travellers 2013 will be about developing instant, relevant and bookable services. For companies, it will be about gaining access to large amounts of data from multiple sources via real-time dashboards.”
Access to multi-channel booking through web, smartphone, tablet or other channels would bring the traveller back to the heart of managed travel, she added.
