2025 in review: Corporate travel trends that shaped the year

Corporate travel in 2025 did more than stabilise. It matured. 

According to the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) (1), global business travel spend reached USD 1.57 trillion in 2024 and is projected to grow further across 2025 into 2026, with recovery strengthening in APAC, Europe, North America and the UK. 

Corporate buyers across regions expressed cautious optimism: 

• 67 percent of global travel buyers said they feel optimistic about business travel’s future. 

Yet research from Deloitte (2) shows the shape of travel changed: 

• The share of professionals who travel for work fell from 36 percent in 2024 to 31 percent in 2025, yet those who do travel are taking more trips per year. 

The result: fewer travellers, more purposeful trips. 

Travel volume shifted to travel value

Across the UK, Europe, North America and Australia, corporate travel moved toward purpose-driven, ROI-justified trips. 

Key global data: 

• GBTA reports that organisations are spending more but focusing spend on revenue-linked and client-facing travel. 
• Deloitte notes a sharp rise in trip scrutiny and pre-trip approvals, especially for internal meetings. 

Examples across regions: 

• APAC: Companies emphasised international trips tied directly to project delivery or sales outcomes.
• UK: Procurement teams pushed for tighter cost controls and reporting.
• North America: Reduction in “nice to have” travel and stronger linkage between trip purpose and KPIs.

What this means for 2026:
Organisations will increasingly ask, “What is the business outcome of this trip” before approving. 

Bleisure became a normal part of business travel

Bleisure moved from trend to expectation. 

Regional insights: 

• APAC saw one of the highest increases in bleisure add-ons, particularly in Singapore, Australia and Japan. 
• Europe embraced longer stays, especially with rail connectivity improving. 
• North America travellers continued extending transpacific and transatlantic trips. 

Companies responded by writing clearer policies around: 

• Cost-splits 
• Duty of care boundaries 
• Insurance coverage 
• Visa and compliance considerations 

Why this matters:
Employee wellbeing and retention are now part of the business case for travel. 

Sustainability remained a priority, but cost continued to lead decisions

Sustainability remained important in 2025, but research shows a persistent “say–do gap.” 

The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) (3) found: 

• More than 50 percent of travellers rank cost as their top priority 
• Only 7–11 percent rank sustainability as the primary decision factor. 

Deloitte (2) reported: 

• Around one third of business travellers worldwide say their companies encourage them to book more sustainable options. 

What actually happened in 2025: 

• Direct flights were preferred to lower emissions and reduce delays. 
• Rail alternatives gained traction in Europe. 
• Companies invested in more transparent CO reporting rather than asking travellers to pay more. 
• Sustainability aligned more with cost savings (shorter trips, fewer stopovers). 

2026 outlook: 
Sustainability will grow where it makes financial sense and is easy to adopt. 

AI and Automation shifted from “Future Trend” to daily practice

2025 marked the first year where AI truly embedded itself into travel operations worldwide. 

Global insights show: 

• Providers across APAC, Europe and the US rolled out AI-based itinerary building, automated approvals and policy-aware suggestions. 
• Expense and risk-management platforms expanded real-time alerts and automated reporting. 
• Travel managers increasingly used predictive analytics to foresee cost spikes or disruptions. 

Findings from corporate travel reports note: 

• AI cut down manual work, allowing travel teams to focus on exceptions, negotiations and traveller experience. 
• Travellers engaged more with chat-based booking tools, especially in Singapore, the UK and North America. 

2026 outlook:
AI will support more complex tasks: risk modelling, dynamic budgets and predictive travel planning. 

Duty of care and risk planning became non-negotiable

2025 brought a year of weather-related disruptions, geopolitical shifts and global supply constraints. This increased focus on risk across all regions. 

GBTA (1) and other industry reports found: 

• Many organisations anticipated reduced travel in certain regions due to geopolitical events and safety concerns. 
• Travel managers updated policies to reflect: 
• Remote work abroad 
• Bleisure risk boundaries 
• Greater documentation of emergency procedures 
• Insurance requirements for multi-country itineraries 

Duty of care tools expanded: 

• Real time location visibility 
• Automatic disruption alerts 
• Traveller safety check ins 
• Contingency planning from TMCs and advisors 

2026 outlook:
Risk management will play a larger role in supplier selection and travel planning than ever before. 

The year ahead

What these global trends mean for 2026 

Across APAC, the UK, Europe and the Americas, five clear themes are emerging: 

Budgets will continue growing, but not blindly. 

Travel tied to revenue, relationships and critical operations will be prioritised. 

Traveller expectations are rising worldwide. 

Employees value flexibility, wellbeing and efficient digital tools. 

Sustainability must be realistic. 

Low-effort, cost-aligned initiatives will see the biggest adoption. 

AI and automation will define program efficiency. 

Travel teams will spend more time on strategy and less on admin. 

Risk resilience is essential. 

Companies want partners who can support fast decision making and provide backup options globally. 

How 1000 Mile Travel Group supports global corporate travel 

We help companies and travel advisors translate global trends into practical policies and smarter travel decisions. 

References 

1. GTBA 
2. Deloitte  
3. World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC)