Yesterday, April 25, we attended EXPOTURISMO DE NEGOCIOS 2019 to present our study "2025, a look at the future of business travel", which we have conducted together with Gebta. This meeting brings together the main professional associations with the international support of GBTA Europe. It is the most important event in our country in terms of Business Travel, Incentives and Meetings, so we could not miss the appointment. Marcel Forns Bernhardt (Gebta) and Ángel García Butragueño (BRAINTRUST) were in charge of presenting the main points and conclusions of the report.
First of all, the global context of the market was analyzed. After 8 years of uninterrupted growth (especially accelerated after the end of the recession in 2014), the sector in question reached a turnover of 12,500M€ in 2018, which represents approximately 1% of the national GDP. However, the economic slowdown, trade tensions and the end of the policy of neutrality at the international level are factors that will ultimately determine the evolution of this niche. Moreover, it is a sector in which travel processes are quite fragmented and there is a medium/low level of technology adoption.
With respect to future prospects, a major generational change is looming in the set of figures surrounding Business Travel. If millennials already appear as a force in the group of travelers, in the coming years they will gain a capital weight as responsible and / or managers of travel accounts. The coming generations think differently and adapt to new technologies and processes with ease, so the disruption scenario is the most likely scenario for the next five years.
In the words of Ángel García Butragueño: "Technology is here to stay. Apps and self-reservation tools are no longer an option, they are a priority and we must all be prepared to face the coming disruption scenario. The digital natives will lead the way and manual processes will disappear completely".
