Concur Survey: Buyers Brace for 'Challenging' 12 Months Ahead

Business travel managers were nearly unanimous in declaring 2024 a "more challenging" year, facing demands including budget reductions, expanding responsibilities and a more demanding traveler population, according to an SAP Concur-sponsored survey of 600 travel managers across six global markets.

In terms of budget, 42 percent of respondents said their job will be more difficult over the next 12 months due to company directives to cut travel costs. Within the Asia/Pacific region, that percentage was 48 percent, according to the survey, which was conducted by Wakefield Research April 5-26. Some of those cuts are coming at the expense of sustainability initiatives, with 36 percent of travel managers indicating it would be difficult to meet expectations for more sustainable travel options with inadequate budgets. 

About a third of travel manager respondents said they have been asked to take a more strategic role at their company but have not received any additional training or education to do so, the survey indicated. That was more common for travel managers in the Americas and the Asia/Pacific region compared with Europe.

The most frequently cited challenges for the year were increased safety concerns and employees not using company booking tools, each cited by 38 percent of respondents. A companion survey of 3,750 business travelers across 24 markets showed 64 percent prefer making changes directly through suppliers rather than through company tools.

Business travelers surveyed were largely positive about business travel itself, with 76 percent saying they enjoy it and 67 percent considering it essential for career advancement. However, about a two-thirds said they have not had equal opportunities to take business trips compared with their colleagues—an increase of 4 percentage points for the same question in Concur's 2023 survey—based on a variety of factors including seniority, age, gender, accent and whether they work from the company's office.

Many travel managers, meanwhile, are seeking greener pastures, with 41 percent saying they likely would look for a new position in the next 12 months.

"Even among those looking to remain in their current role, 41 percent intend to push for changes to that position," Concur said in the report, "demonstrating that staying put won't necessarily equate to staying silent."