The latest SAP Concur Global Business Travel Survey uncovers key areas where travellers, travel managers, and CFOs clash over company travel strategies. While 98% of business travellers see face-to-face meetings as vital, other stakeholders question the necessity, budget, and decision-making power behind travel.
1. Is Travel Essential?
- 98% of business travellers say on-site trips are helpful or essential.
- 39% of CFOs believe over half of travel could be replaced by virtual meetings.
- 34% of travel managers view the rise of teleconferencing as a direct threat to their roles.
2. Will Employees Go the Distance?
- 87% of travellers are very willing to travel in the next year (up from 67% in 2023).
- 46% of CFOs warn that employee reluctance could harm company health.
- 26% of travel managers see unwilling staff as a risk to travel programmes.
3. Budget Expectations Differ
- 26% of travellers expect travel budgets to stay flat or shrink.
- Only 32% of CFOs and 23% of travel managers predict maintained or reduced budgets—highlighting a gap between employee perceptions and management forecasts.
4. Who Holds the Power?
Stakeholders disagree on who drives travel decisions:
- Travellers: 38% say travel managers and 38% say CFOs lead, compared to 24% naming themselves.
- Travel Managers: 38% cite their own influence, 39% cite CFOs, and 23% cite travellers.
- CFOs: 65% believe they are most influential, versus 23% for travel managers and 12% for travellers.
5. Budget Limits vs. Business Needs
- 70% of travellers report trips cut due to costs.
- 71% of travel managers agree budgets don’t reflect travel’s importance.
- Among CFOs, 54% somewhat agree and 36% strongly agree that budget caps hinder essential travel.
“These findings highlight the points of contention between travellers, travel managers, and CFOs, for the first time in our Global Business Travel Survey. To empower employees to develop professionally and create new opportunities on the road, it’s vital that every role in the organisation aligns on common goals.”
— Gary Goodenough, Regional Director at SAP Concur
