What aspects make business travel more difficult and what do business travelers want instead? The AirPlus portal investigated this question in a survey. 550 business travelers in nine European countries were asked about this. The result: internal company measures are at the top of the list.
Budget cuts, climate protection issues, and global crises were the most frequently cited factors. For these and other reasons, travel policies often require virtual meetings. Germany ranks first in Europe when it comes to budget cuts in particular.
However, face-to-face meetings continue to be very important to those surveyed. More than 90 percent see disadvantages in replacing business travel with video conferences.
The survey highlighted the lack of face-to-face meetings and networking opportunities as a particular drawback. Around 40 to 50 percent of respondents said they definitely preferred face-to-face meetings, especially for business purposes such as building trust and relationships, negotiations, and discussing confidential topics.
Sources: AirPlus/Businesstraveller