In the News...

EXPLORING THE DNA OF BUSINESS TRAVELERS Egencia, an Expedia company, has released the results of a comprehensive study into business travelers. With more than 2,400 respondents across France, Germany, the U.K., the U.S. and Canada, the survey compares psychographic and demographic groups to provide what the firm says is an unprecedented view of today's business traveler. More than two our of three surveyed enjoy business trips and 85% state that traveling is a key reason why they like their current job. However, priorities for business travelers are very different and the research identified six key demographic or psychographic groups or "tribes" that unite corporate travelers globally.

The largest group, made up of 39% of those surveyed, is the "experience-hungry travelers." These people try to balance business travel with personal interests, scheduling as much free time as possible so they can explore new destinations. The "hyper-connected" tribe comprises 23% of corporate travelers. This group is most often married and although they don't necessarily enjoy traveling for work, they like the opportunity to develop business networks.

The third-largest group is the "cost-conscious" travelers. Making up 14% of travelers, this group is most likely to work for a company with less than 50 employees and they make sure that value for money is the key priority in every business trip. In the remaining 24% of travelers, three smaller tribes have been identified. These include a home-focused group who enjoy traveling least, seasoned travelers for whom travel is a core part of their work, and finally, green travelers who only travel by plane if there is no other option. (The Full Story)

TRAVEL PROMOTION ACT ADVANCES IN HOUSE The Travel Industry Association is applauding the leadership of the subcommittee on commerce, trade and consumer protection of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce for reporting H.R. 3232, the "Travel Promotion Act," to the full committee. The bill was approved by a voice vote. "In the waning days on the 110h Congress, leaders are stepping forward to strengthen America's economy by passing the Travel Promotion Act," said Roger Dow, president and CEO of TIA. The legislation establishes a public-private partnership to promote the U.S. as a premier international travel destination and communicate U.S. travel and entry policies. "We strongly urge Congress to pass the Travel Promotion Act before it adjourns for the year," said Dow.

IT IS GETTING HARDER TO SCHEDULE BUSINESS CONVENTIONS, says The New York Times. Because of high fuel prices, airlines are reducing the number of cities they serve and are cutting back the number of daily flights to any given destination. For business travelers, that has meant putting less emphasis on finding cheap fares and more on simply finding a flight that will get them where they need to go. For organizers of conferences and conventions, the airline cutbacks are creating major headaches, because booking large events often means signing contracts with hotels and convention centers several years in advance.

Even as companies tighten spending on business travel, many employees are actually spending more time on the road in the scramble to generate more  revenue. At the same time, as household budgets are being squeezed in a deteriorating economy, people are cutting back on holiday and vacation trips. As a result, industry executives say, business travelers and their companies have become more resourceful in figuring out ways to take some fun onto the work without spending a lot of extra money. In some cases, it is cheaper to add a leisure trip to a business trip because some costs are already covered. (The Full Story)

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