Even amid today’s economic uncertainty and geopolitical tensions, corporate travel continues to be viewed as an essential business tactic. In fact, the Global Business Travel Association’s (GBTA) 2025 Business Travel Index Outlook revealed that 86 percent of professionals consider their trips worthwhile, and 80 percent say they’re traveling for work as much or more than they were before COVID.
For a closer look at the nuances of the current business-travel climate, we compiled analysis from American Express Global Business Travel’s Business Travel Pulse Report, the GBTA’s Outlook, Altour’s Business Travel Index and SAP’s Global Business Travel Report. Let’s dig in.
Frequency and Costs
• Global business travel spending is projected to reach a new high of $1.57 trillion in 2025, representing a moderate year-over-year growth rate of 6.6%.
• 74% of workers reported taking between one and five business trips in the past year.
• The average cost of a business trip has increased from $834 in 2024 to $1,128 this year.
• Domestic travel has decreased slightly (by 1%), while international trips are seeing an uptick, which may reflect an evolving approach to business travel.
• 69% of travel managers reported that company budgets are too small and don’t reflect the link between business travel and corporate success.
• 90% of cfos forecast that travel budgets will increase or stay the same in the coming year.
