Business Travelers Expected to Be More Resourceful in 2009

The Orbitz for Business/Business Traveler Magazine Quarterly Trend Report is reporting that cost controls may have been a more significant trend than policies focused on cutting back corporate travel. Nearly three-fourths –71 percent- of business travelers say they’ve traveled more or about the same in 2008 as they did a year ago.

An overwhelming majority –79 percent- of travelers say they’ve felt pressure to curb their travel expenses during the course of 2008, with an additional 55 percent having to make further cuts in the past three months.

These are among the key findings of the Orbitz for Business/Business Traveler Magazine Quarterly Trend Report, which examines the most prevalent issues affecting the corporate travel industry.

Orbitz for Business, the corporate travel brand of Orbitz Worldwide, surveyed the corporate travel landscape to identify the most newsworthy trends that shaped this past year, while also collecting insights into what some business travelers expect in 2009.

Throughout 2008, the Orbitz for Business/Business Traveler Magazine Quarterly Trend Report indicated a large majority of businesses were approaching travel more creatively in order to trim associated costs. Key findings throughout the year pointed to growing numbers of travelers flying in and out of a business destination the same day, staying at a less expensive/lower-rated hotel or sending fewer employees to trade shows and conferences.

In the fourth quarter 2008, as the U.S. economy experienced ongoing challenges, a majority (51 percent) of those surveyed say they have scaled back but are still traveling, while 39 percent say they are keeping up the pace. Only 6 percent of respondents’ companies have implemented a freeze on travel while 4 percent are traveling more.

When asked if their company had experimented with alternatives to travel in 2008, 50 percent of respondents said they had tried videoconferencing. However, an overwhelming majority –85 percent-- say they don’t feel videoconferencing is or would be as productive as an in-person meeting, with just 1 percent responding that it is or would be more productive.

A 2007 Orbitz for Business study found that 24 percent of business travelers said they have had to share a hotel room, either as a practice or on occasion, when traveling on business. One year later, just 14 percent say they now share hotel rooms with co-workers or colleagues.

In response to airline capacity cuts, many of which have been implemented in the latter half of 2008, the report revealed that 47 percent now book further in advance whenever possible and 43 percent are now more price conscious and concerned about having to pay higher airfares.

Seventeen percent say their companies have taken measures to discourage last-minute bookings and 11 percent are choosing to drive to their destination more frequently rather than fly. Looking ahead to 2009, a majority of business travelers surveyed, 55 percent, say they are planning to travel as much or more than they did in 2008.

The report also explored the extent to which professionals feel traveling to conduct business in-person makes them successful. When asked how important maintaining travel frequency is to overall productivity and business success, 76 percent say that it is important, with 16 percent labeling it as “critical.”