Global Business Travel Continues but Confidence Drops Sharply as Conflict, Costs & Complexity Reshape the 2026 Outlook
GBTA poll finds optimism waning as geopolitical concerns influence business travel spending, trip volume and meetings, and AI makes gains as a strategic tool
ALEXANDRIA, VA, UNITED STATES, April 22, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Global business travel is continuing at a steady pace into 2026, but with significantly more caution, less confidence and greater operational complexity. Organizations are pressing forward with trips, spending and meetings amid escalating conflicts, higher costs and growing disruption. The shift is most pronounced in Europe, as geopolitical conflicts are shaping travel routes, safety considerations and meetings planning. The travel manager role is increasingly strategic, including leveraging AI as an enabler of smarter decisions and stronger impact.
This is according to findings released today by the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) from its April business travel industry sentiment poll reflecting perspectives from over 500 corporate travel managers, travel suppliers and intermediaries. Results show a more cautious outlook compared with GBTA’s January poll, with organizations adjusting why and how they travel for work.
“What we’re seeing is not a broad pullback from business travel, but a more deliberate and carefully managed approach to it. Organizations continue to travel and meet – and innovate – but they’re doing so while adapting to rising costs, operational friction and escalating geopolitical tensions,” said Suzanne Neufang, Chief Executive Officer of GBTA.
“These pressures are reshaping how, where and why companies are traveling — making experienced business travel professionals more critical than ever to keeping travelers safe, navigating risk and disruption, and controlling budgets so organizations and people can continue to connect and do business.”
Risks and Regional Impacts: Geopolitical Tensions Now the Dominant Concern
Geopolitical instability has now become the most significant external risk influencing business travel decisions.
79% cite geopolitical instability and conflict as a top travel-related risk, making it the industry’s leading concern globally.
The impact is especially visible in Europe, where 92% identify geopolitics as a primary risk, compared with 72% in North America.
Current conflicts, including tensions involving Iran and the Middle East, are having tangible impacts on industry outlook and operations.
76% of buyers say geopolitical conflicts are having an impact on their organization’s business travel and meetings decisions.
83% of travel suppliers indicate these conflicts are materially affecting their customers.
Organizations report real-world consequences, including route and itinerary changes (50%), suspension of all travel to/within the region (50%), and re-evaluation of duty of care policies (36%).
Outlook and Optimism: Confidence Drops Since January, Especially in Europe
Overall industry optimism has weakened since the start of the year.
41% of respondents say they are optimistic about business travel in 2026, down from 59% in January.
The share expressing pessimism has nearly tripled, from 9% in January to 24% in April.
Buyer optimism declined from 59% in January to 39% in April, while supplier optimism fell from 57% to 45%.
Europe is the only region where pessimism outweighs optimism.
European optimism dropped sharply from 58% in January to just 21% in April, while pessimism rose to 38%.
North America remains net positive, though weakening, with optimism declining from 59% to 45% in April, and pessimism rising from 9% to 19%.
Respondents increasingly cite growing concerns about travel affordability (82%) and employee safety (67%).
Spending, Volume, and Revenue: Business Travel Continues, but Downside Risk Grows
Business travel activity is expected to continue through 2026, though expectations have moderated since January.
Business travel volume:
28% of buyers expect volume to decline, up from 16% in January.
30% expect trip volumes to increase, down from 35%, while 41% anticipate activity to remain unchanged.
Travel spending:
43% of buyers expect spending to increase, similar to January levels and driven by cost pressures.
22% expect spending to decline, up from just 13% earlier in the year.
Supplier revenue:
Only 35% of suppliers expect travel-related revenue to increase, down from 47% in January, while 27% expect declines.
Meetings and Events: Strategies Adjust Under Pressure but In-Person Value Holds
Geopolitical risk and cross-border complexity are also reshaping meetings and events planning.
38% of buyers say they are less likely to host multinational meetings in the U.S. than six months ago.
56% say their organization has changed its meetings or events strategy in the past three months, including shifting some events to virtual formats (26%), canceling meetings (24%), reducing employee attendance (24%), or relocating meetings (22%).
European buyers (33%) are more likely than North America buyers (21%) to shift meetings to virtual formats.
Sales and client meetings (53%) and conferences or trade shows (51%) are cited as the hardest activities to replicate virtually, rising to 63% among European buyers for conferences and trade shows.
Travel Management’s Role: More Strategic By Necessity
As disruption intensifies, the role of travel management is becoming increasingly central.
70% of buyers say travel management becomes more important during disruption, with closer alignment to leadership, risk management and enterprise decision-making.
Buyers report increased involvement for traveler safety, policy changes, crisis response, and meetings oversight.
92% of buyers are confident their organization can effectively support travelers during a major disruption.
Artificial intelligence is emerging as a tool for more strategic operations.
41% of buyers say their organization is proactively implementing AI use cases, while 28% are leveraging AI embedded in existing tools.
Buyers view building AI and automation skills (37%) as a priority to improve reporting, pricing insight, spend forecasting, and decision-making, with data, privacy and security remain the leading barrier (47%).
Access the full April 2026 GBTA poll results on the GBTA Research web page.
Methodology
The poll was conducted online from March 25-April 8, 2026, with 539 responses from GBTA members and non-members across six regions representing a range of organizations, geographic responsibilities and business travel spending profiles.
About GBTA
The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) is the world’s premier business travel and meetings trade organization serving stakeholders across six continents. GBTA and its 9,000+ members represent and advocate for the $1.57 trillion global business travel and meetings industry. GBTA and the GBTA Foundation deliver world-class education, events, research, advocacy, and media to a growing global network of more
Debbie Iannaci
Global Business Travel Association
diannaci@gbta.org
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