Global business travel professionals are cautiously optimistic as the industry enters the year ahead ─ despite concerns over balancing travel budgets with costs, traveler safety and satisfaction, and potentially stricter U.S. border and visa requirements.
According to the latest poll from the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), organizations expect their corporate travel budgets to hold or rise and anticipate modest increases in trip volumes and revenue. Balancing cost control with traveler satisfaction will remain a central challenge, along with managing traveler safety related to travel-disruptive situations. Potentially, new cross‑border requirements pose a risk to international mobility and employee willingness to travel.
“The results show an industry propelled by anticipated stronger demand and financial indicators, yet potentially constrained by external factors that could reshape business travel in the year ahead,” said Suzanne Neufang, CEO, GBTA. “Traveling for work is critical to how global companies and economies grow, innovate and connect. We need to ensure it remains accessible, safe, and seamless ─ and that every trip counts.”
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
Overall Cautious Optimism for the Year Ahead
Six in ten (59%) industry professionals polled—and consistent among buyers, suppliers, TMCs and regions—say they are optimistic about the industry this year. Globally, about a third (31%) of respondents, on average, cite a neutral outlook.
While the majority are optimistic, trade, cross-border and economic headwinds have left their mark on travel buyers—their outlook for 2026 is down 12 percentage points versus coming into 2025.
Stability or Slight Increases Expected for Business Travel Spending
A vast majority of buyers (84%) expect their organization’s business travel spending in 2026 to increase (44%) or stay at 2025 levels (40%). Among buyers who expect a rise, the average expected increase is 12%. Only 13% of buyers expect a decrease.
Travel Volume at a Steady Cadence
One-third of travel buyers (35%) expect the number of business trips taken at their company to increase in 2026, while almost half (47%) expect levels to remain the same as 2025.
Among those buyers anticipating travel volumes to increase, the average expected increase is 14%. Buyers in EMEA (25%) are more likely to expect a decrease year over year.
Corporate Buyers Expect More Employee Travelers
Compared to 2025, 42% of travel managers expect the number of employee travelers at their organization to increase in some capacity in 2026—with one-third (33%) of those expecting an increase of less than 10%.
Additionally, 38% expect their organization’s number of business travelers to stay about the same as 2025, while one in five (18%) expect a decline.
Business Travel Operating Budgets Remain Steady to Growing, With Some Concerns
Three-quarters (75%) of travel buyers expect their overall 2026 budget for travel management operations to increase (30%) or stay consistent with 2025 (45%). Among those expecting an increase, 20% anticipate less than 10% growth. However, 18% expect their 2026 operational budget to decrease.
Program cost savings and control is a bigger concern for U.S. travel buyers (74%) compared to other regions (62% non-U.S.).
When travel suppliers and TMCs were asked where their organization is reducing budgets or spending in 2026, primary areas cited were reducing marketing spend (26%), pausing new hires (22%), and decreasing staff / outsourcing to vendors (13%). In the U.S., 20% of TMC professionals expect a decrease in staffing and 26% anticipate pausing on new hires.
Affordability, Border Mobility and Traveler Safety Lead 2026 Concerns
Travel buyers are most concerned about the affordability of business travel (70%), followed by the ease of obtaining entry/exit permissions and visas (65%) and employee safety (56%).
Top concerns are relatively consistent across markets and roles. However, affordability (76%) and ease of entry/exit permissions (57%) are noted as most prominent among U.S. buyers. Entry/exit permissions are cited as a high concern particularly among buyers with employees taking more than 10,000 trips per year (79%), as well as among suppliers (72%).
Half (52%) of buyers are concerned about TMC service quality, but are slightly less concerned (42%) about overall internal support for the travel program.
A notable number of suppliers (45%) are concerned about the willingness of travel and procurement managers to explore and change existing supplier/TMC partners in 2026.
In terms of cost and satisfaction, travel buyers most commonly cited as big or major challenges in 2026 balancing cost controls with traveler satisfaction (59%) and prices rising above budget (58%).
For 2026, travel buyers cite missing content in the booking tool (46%), figuring out AI (46%), and leakage (39%) as top operational challenges.
ESTA: Cross-Border Requirements Under Pressure
The U.S. government is proposing stricter ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization) requirements for travelers visiting or transiting the U.S. from 42 currently visa-free countries, including mandatory disclosure of long-term social media, contact and family information, plus possible biometric selfies and a mobile app–only process.
These proposed changes threaten to impact visa entry/exit systems and shake confidence in travel to the U.S. Among respondents who say their organization frequently sends employees to the U.S., three in four state they are very (42%) or somewhat (36%) concerned.
Industry professionals are most concerned about managing travel to the U.S. (65%), increased challenges associated with sending people to the U.S. (64%), costs of doing business in the U.S. (63%), employee willingness to travel to the U.S. (61%), and challenges of hosting meetings in the U.S. (53%).
As a result of the proposed ESTA requirements, many respondents say their companies are more likely to hold more meetings outside the U.S. (43%), decrease near-term business travel to the U.S. (29%), decrease U.S. travel over the long term (25%), and change travel policies to limit U.S. travel (19%).
