Global business travel spending 2001-2024
Global business tourism spending was estimated to reach approximately 1.5 trillion U.S. dollars in 2024, which represents a full recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Business travel is a branch of the tourism industry focusing on trips made for work-related purposes. Attending congresses, meetings, and trade fairs, for instance, are among the main activities related to this market.
How did the COVID-19 pandemic hit domestic and international business trips?
After the outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in 2020, companies worldwide had to revisit their trip plans, as different restrictions adopted across the world disrupted global travel. According to a study by the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), the share of companies canceling most or all domestic business trips worldwide reached 38 percent as of October 2021. Meanwhile, almost eight in ten surveyed firms suspended international business travel as of the same month.
Which company spent the most on booked air volume in the U.S.?
As the pandemic hit the business travel market hard in 2020, it comes as no surprise that the volume of air tickets purchased by companies in the United States experienced a sharp decline due to the health crisis. While Deloitte spent over 583 million U.S. dollars on air travel in 2019, it reported an expenditure of 97 million U.S. dollars in 2020. That year, the company ranked as the second leading air travel spender in the U.S. behind Amazon.