CONTACTS:
Caleb Tiller, NBTA | 703-684-0836 Ext. 138
Cathy Keefe, TIA | 202-408-2183
Washington, DC (February 8, 2005) -- The National Business Travel Association (NBTA), the Institute of Business Travel Management, and the Travel Industry Association of America (TIA) today released 2004 Business Travelers Survey Key Findings: The Business Travel Industry and Travel Management, highlighting the importance of business travel to the travel industry, confirming that business travel is recovering, and shedding light on the value of corporate travel management.
The 2004 Business Travelers Survey, a study of 2,043 adult business travelers in the United States, was conducted by TIA and sponsored by NBTA and ITBM, NBTA’s education and research foundation. Survey findings were used in TIA’s 2004 Business and Convention Travelers Report. The 2004 Business Travelers Survey Key Findings data sheet highlights important components of the TIA report and provides additional analysis of survey data. Both reports were issued at a joint press conference today at the National Press Club.
“The 2004 Business Travelers Survey results help quantify the importance of business travel to the travel industry and the American economy — something we have long understood,” said NBTA Executive Director and COO, Bill Connors, CTC. “We have always known that the practice of travel management gives business travelers better travel experiences. With this research, we can now quantify that difference.”
The survey shows that in 2003, 38.3 million Americans generated 210.5 million domestic business person trips. They spent $153.2 billion, or nearly one-third of the domestic travel market. Survey responses indicate a 3.8% increase in the number of domestic business travel trips taken in the fist six months of 2004 as compared to the same period in 2003. Similarly, in recent NBTA surveys travel managers indicated that in 2004 they saw an increase in travel over 2003, and a majority said that they believe corporate travel is currently recovering to levels seen in 2000.
“We believe that U.S. business travel is finally in recovery and expect reasonably healthy growth over the next several years,” remarked Dr. Suzanne Cook, senior vice president of research for TIA. “During this time, U.S. companies will look for ways to maximize their effectiveness and minimize costs and will increasingly look to things like new technologies and smart travel management to do so.”
Forty-four percent of business travelers report they must book business trips on their own, while 37 percent reported and they book travel in one of four ways classified as managed travel programs — a central travel management department or on-site travel agency; a central travel management department plus company-wide booking software; an off-site travel agency; or an Internet-based travel agency.
Travelers in managed programs were more likely to agree to all of the following:
- Their companies’ programs make it easy to travel for business
- Travel policies at their companies are designed to lower business travel costs.
- Their corporate travel system is easy to use.
- Their companies’ travel policies keep employees’ comfort and safety in mind.
Eighty-nine percent of travelers in managed programs report their companies have at least one of 14 specific travel policies in place. By comparison, only 65 percent of those in unmanaged programs report at least one of those policies.
Additionally, 45 percent of those in managed programs report using teleconferencing, videoconferencing, and/or webcasting in the past 12 months instead of taking a business trip, while only 25 percent of those in unmanaged programs did.
“Smart companies use travel management to maximize effectiveness, minimize costs, mitigate risks and augment security,” said Connors. “This survey shows that travelers in managed travel programs understand the benefits for themselves and for their companies. It also shows that’s smart use of new communications technology and smart travel management go hand-in-hand to accomplish corporate goals.”
The online survey was completed in September 2004, with responses coming from 2,043 adults (age 18+) in the United States who took at least one business trip in the previous year (September 2003 – August 2004).
2004 Business Travelers Survey Key Findings: The Business Travel Industry and Travel Management can be found on the NBTA website -- click here for the PDF document.
Members of the media interested in TIA’s 2004 Business and Convention Travelers Report should contact Cathy Keefe at ckeefe@tia.org or 202-408-2183.
About IBTM: The Institute of Business Travel Management is the education and research foundation of the National Business Travel Association. IBTM's mission is to provide on-going financial resources to conduct research initiatives beneficial to the entire business travel industry; to support educational and research offerings for business travel industry professionals and to provide scholarship opportunities for business travel professionals.
About NBTA: The National Business Travel Association is the source for critical information on the business travel industry. For more than 35 years, NBTA has dedicated itself to the professional development of its members through advocacy, education and training, and networking opportunities. NBTA represents over 2,500 corporate travel managers and travel service providers, who collectively manage and direct more than $170 billion of expenditures within the business travel industry.
About TIA: The Travel Industry Association of America is the national, non-profit organization representing all components of the $593 billion travel industry. TIA's mission is to represent the whole of the U.S. travel industry to promote and facilitate increased travel to and within the United States.
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