Safety, Sustainability, and the Business Travel Experience

We’ve studied the challenges of business travel for six years through our annual SAP Concur Global Business Travel Survey. Year after year, safety remains a primary concern for road warriors. In 2019, 58% of global business travelers said they had changed their travel arrangements because they felt unsafe.

Sustainability also has consistently landed among travelers’ priorities: In 2020, for instance, 23% included sustainability among their top three considerations when traveling for business.

Fast forward to this year’s global survey of 3,750 business travelers in 24 markets and 600 travel managers across six markets:

Business Travelers Look to Technology to Ensure Safety

• Safety concerns are the biggest reason that business travelers would decline a business trip. Respondents to our 2024 survey said they’d consider declining due to:
  • Safety concerns about the trip destination (44%)
  • Political or social concerns about the trip destination (35%)
  • Safety concerns for the mode of transportation required (33%)
• Safety is top of mind for travel managers as well. Nearly two in five (39%) said increased safety concerns amidst geopolitical tensions will make their job more challenging in the next 12 months.
• Part of that challenge stems from travelers booking travel outside of corporate booking tools. More than one in three travel managers (37%) said supporting traveler duty of care without visibility into all travel is making it difficult for them to be successful in their role.
• Indeed, only 23% of business travelers said they’re required to use their company’s booking tool. Yet, travelers recognize the value of company booking tools and said the following features and capabilities are critical:
  • Rebook or change easily due to cancellations or delays (33%)
  • Book or update travel using desktop or mobile (31%)
  • Compare all available travel options in a single booking tool (30%)
  • Top-of-the-line features to ensure safety and well-being (29%)
  • Integrations with other workplace tools to make administrative work easier (28%)
  • Safe travel recommendations for travelers with alternative lifestyles (28%)
• Business travelers are willing to lean on technology to ensure their safety. More than a third (37%) would consider using AI-powered automation to help support their safety and well-being when booking business travel. 

Cost and Regulations Create Barriers to Sustainable Business Travel

• Although safety is of the utmost importance, it isn’t the only reason a business traveler would decline a business trip. Environmental concerns are also top of mind for employees, and they’re cognizant of their employers’ impact. More than one in four (27%) would be willing to decline a business trip due to the environmental impact of the travel or the inability to choose sustainable options—up from 23% in our 2023 study.  
• Nearly a third (29%) of business travelers and their company is more focused on increasing the used of sustainable travel options than meeting employees’ need for flexibility or cutting travel costs. Yet, 27% of business travelers indicated their company has cut back on allowing employees to pay more to use more sustainable travel options over the past 12 months.
• Similarly, 33% of travel managers said their company is more focused on increasing the use of sustainable travel options. However, there also are roadblocks:
  • 37% of travel managers said providing more sustainable travel options without an adequate travel budget is making it difficult for them to be successful in their role. 
  • 39% of travel managers said new or increasing sustainability regulations and requirements will make their job more challenging in the next 12 months. 
• As with safety, business travelers feel there's an opportunity for technology to support sustainable travel: 
  • Around one in four business travelers (23%) cited recommendations for reducing carbon emissions as a critical element in their company's travel booking tool. 
  • More than a third (37%) of business travelers would use AI-powered automation to find sustainable travel options when booking business travel. 

Learn how SAP Concur solutions assist with duty of care and sustainable travel, and for additional survey findings, please download our business traveler, travel manager, and SMB business traveler whitepapers.

The SAP Concur Global Business Traveler Survey was conducted by Wakefield Research between April 5-26, 2024, among 3,750 business travelers in 24 markets: U.S., Canada, UK, Germany, France, Benelux (Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg), Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Italy, Spain, ANZ (Australia, New Zealand), Middle East (UAE, Saudi Arabia), Japan, Korea, India, Mexico, Brazil, SEA (Singapore, Malaysia), South Africa, Portugal, Switzerland, and Austria.

The SAP Concur Global Travel Manager Survey was conducted by Wakefield Research between April 5-26, 2024, among 600 travel managers, defined as those who direct or administer travel programs for businesses, across 6 markets: Germany, Canada, Japan, ANZ Countries (Australia and New Zealand), UK, and U.S.