Survey Considers LGBTQ+ Business Travel Experiences

Nearly all (94%) of LGBTQ+ business travelers have personally experienced discrimination while traveling for work.

As we write this blog post, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is currently tracking 491 anti-LGBTQ+ bills in the United States, and the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) has counted more than 520 anti-LGBTQ+ bills introduced in state legislatures in 2023. Additionally, a report recently published by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and GLAAD found that there were more than 350 reported anti-LGBTQ+ incidents in the U.S. between June 2022 and April 2023. These circumstances led HRC to declare its first “state of emergency” in June 2023 for LGBTQ+ people in the U.S.

In 2019—the inaugural year of the SAP Concur Global Business Travel Survey—we explored challenges that the LGBTQ+ community faced while traveling for business. Five years later, unfortunately, little has improved in the community’s responses.

According to the findings of the 2023 Global Business Travel Survey, 90% of LGBTQ+ business travelers globally have hidden their sexual orientation while on a business trip, with the top reasons being safety issues (55%) and privacy issues (55%). Forty-six percent said that they have hidden their sexual orientation because they felt that their business goals had a better chance of success if they did so. Thirty-eight percent hid this information because the region they visited has laws that are anti-LGBTQ+.

Safety while traveling is a key consideration for many employees, which we see reflected in our survey data year after year. In 2023, 44% of global business travelers say that health and safety concerns are among the biggest threats to business travel today, and 44% would decline a trip due to safety or social concerns for traveling to certain parts of the world.

However, the data suggests that those who identify as LGBTQ+ are more likely to have their travel plans impacted by safety concerns than the average business traveler. Our survey found that 82% of LGBTQ+ business travelers have changed their accommodations in the past 12 months while on a business trip specifically because they felt unsafe—compared to 53% of all business travelers—and 64% have done this more than once.

It’s not uncommon for global business travelers in general to experience discrimination while traveling; nearly three-quarters (74%) say they have personally experienced it while on a business trip. But the rate at which LGBTQ+ business travelers experience discrimination is staggering, as nearly all (94%) say that they have personally experienced it.

Discrimination also occurs within organizations: Nearly two-thirds of global business travelers (62%) feel they haven’t had equal opportunity to travel for business compared to their coworkers. This includes 92% of LGBTQ+ business travelers, for reasons such as their sexual orientation (31%), gender (34%), or physical appearance (27%).

While many organizations spend significant energy and resources to attract and hire more diverse employees, the above findings suggest that more can be done to ensure that these employees experience the equity, inclusion, and belonging necessary for them to stick around.

Career growth opportunities are an essential component, and according to the employees we surveyed this year, traveling for work is critical for career advancement. Ninety-two percent of global business travelers say that the future of their career is dependent on business travel in the coming year, including 98% of those who identify as LGBTQ+.

How to make a difference

To better support employees while they travel, business leaders and travel managers should pay close attention to destinations’ LGBTQ+ laws. Travel and legal departments should work together to adjust policies and approaches to fulfill duty of care.

Technology can help with this. For instance, SAP Concur partners with duty of care solution providers, and TripIt Neighborhood Safety Scores make it easier to track the safest destinations and neighborhoods for LGBTQ+ travelers. Reference resources like HRC’s guidebook for the LGBTQ+ community often. Keep the lines of communication open: Talk with LGBTQ+ identifying employees to understand and address any concerns directly.

Ensuring that LGBTQ+ employees have equitable access to travel opportunities while protecting their safety requires that organizations take a close look at how they empower and support employees, whether on the road or in the office.

For more information about the 2023 Global Business Travel Survey, including additional 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 7-28, 2023, among 3,850 business travelers in 25 markets: U.S., Canada, Brazil, Mexico, LAC (Colombia, Chile, Peru, and Argentina), UK, France, Germany, ANZ region (Australia and New Zealand), SEA region (Singapore and Malaysia), China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, India, Korea, Italy, Spain, Dubai, Benelux (Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg), South Africa, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and Finland. Data has been weighted to facilitate tracking.