REPORTTRAVEL BUYER SURVEY:TRAVEL POLICYBY BCD TRAVEL RESEARCH & INTELLIGENCEMay 2024

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ABOUT THE SURVEY

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Goal: This survey explores modern corporate travel
policies and looks at the policy changes happening
under the influence of travel buyers' shifting
priorities and the new trends shaping businesstravel.

Travel policy overview

Methodology: The results are based on an online
survey of 211 travel buyers conducted from April 317, 2024.

Travel policy regulations
Travel policy updates and communication

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Respondent profile

55%Of travel managers have global
responsibilities.

64%

Work for large companies withmore than 10,000 employees.

36%

Geography

37%

NORAM

42%
EMEA

Have annual travel spend of
US $50 million and above.

4%

Top three industries

16%
LATAM

22%

11%

Manufacturing

Life sciences

11%
Financialservices

APAC

Travel policy overview
Travel program priorities and benchmark, 2020-2024
Travel policy availability
Travel policy overview
Travel policy length
Travel policy themes
Traveler parameters
Stakeholders
Travel policy priorities
Travel policy challenges
Regional challenges
Impact of policy on talent

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Travel program priorities
Duty of care tops the list of travel program priorities with 92% of travel buyers rating it extremely or very important.
Duty of care

57%

Savings and cost control

54%

Policy compliance53%

Traveler satisfaction and wellbeing

32%

Data analytics and business intelligence

31%

Value of travel

30%

Traveler digital experience22%

Supplier management

21%

Environmentally sustainable travel
Extremely important

Very important

15%

6%

40%

5%

37%

39%

Payment and expense management

35%

9%

48%

11%

51%

13%

45%

16%

53%

16%

41%

29%
55%

40%

Moderately importantQ: Please rate your current travel program priorities on a 5-point scale, from “not at all important” to “extremely important.”

21%
33%

Slightly important

Not at all importantHOME

Travel program priorities benchmark, 2020-2024

While duty of care, compliance and cost control kept growing importance, traveler satisfaction went down on the list ofpriorities.

4.7 4.7

4.6

4.4 4.5

4.2

4.3 4.3 4.4

3.9

4.1

4.3 4.3

4.4

4.3

4.5 4.4 4.4

3.8

4.2
3.6

3.8

4.0

4.3

4.1

4.2 4.2 4.1

4 3.9 4.0 4.1 4
3.6

3.8

3.9 4 3.9

4.0 3.9

3.7

3.7

3.9
3.6 3.5

2.9

Duty of care

Policycompliance

Value
Savings andTraveler
Payment and Valueof oftravel Data analytics
Supplier
Traveler digital Environmental
travelcost control satisfaction and
expenseand business management
experiencesustainability
wellbeing
management
intelligence
April 2020

Duty of care

April 2021

March 2022

May 2023

April 2024

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Travel policy
95% of travel buyers say their company has a published travel policy, which is often combined withexpense regulations.

Availability of travel policy

Combined T&E policy

No5%

No
18%

Yes
95%

Q: Does your company have a published travel policy?

Yes
79%

Q: Is your travel policy combined with your company's
expense regulations into one Travel & Expense policy?

Don'tknow
3%

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Travel policy overview
While most policies are cost-focused, few are based on KPIs and traveler
feedback.
Aligned with company goals

72%

26%

1%

Supported by leadership

70%

26%

3%

Cost-focused

57%

Inclusive

39%

47%

4%

47%

6%

Detailed

41%

52%

7%

Backed up with adequate tools

39%

53%

8%

Traveler-centricFlexible

30%

65%

22%

5%

66%

12%

Dynamic

17%

Restrictive

17%

Based on KPIs

15%

56%

30%

Based on traveler feedback

12%

62%

26%

Yes, very much
Q: How would you describe your travel policy? Select what applies.

62%

21%

68%

Somewhat15%

Not at allHOME

Travel policy length
Over three-quarters of travel policies are under 20
pages long.

43%

34%

12%
9%
3%
1-10 pages 11-20 pages 21-30 pages

Q: How long is your global travel policy?

Over 30pages

Don't knowHOME

Travel policy themes
Around two-thirds of policies include trip purpose and pre-trip approval,
followed by virtual meetings and traveler wellbeing.
Trip purpose64%

Pre-trip approvals

62%

Virtual meetings as a travel substitute52%

Traveler health and wellbeing

49%

Sustainable travel45%

Non-employee travel

43%

Bleisure and traveler benefits
Hybrid or remote work
Diversity, equity and inclusion

33%
19%
17%

Q: Which of the following topics are covered in your travel policy? Select all that apply.

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Traveler parameters
Companies may have dedicated travel policies for senior employees, teams
from specific business units and frequent travelers.

Seniority, e.g. Board, VPs, Directors

41%

Frequent travelers

32%

None

32%

Company business units

32%

Employees with accessibility needs orneurodivergent employees

12%

Employees with special needs, e.g. nursing mothers

6%

Gender

4%

LGBTQ+

4%

Religion

2%

Other

1%

Age

1%

Q: What traveler parameters are addressed in your travel policy? Select all that apply.

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Stakeholders
In addition to travel management, Finance, HR and
Procurement are typically involved in creating andupdating travel policy.
Finance64%

Human Resources

63%

Procurement56%

Security/Risk management

52%

The
TheExecutive
ExecutiveBoard
Board/ /C-suite
C-suit

51%

Legal

44%

Sustainability / ESG

24%

Information Technology

11%

Other
Employee resource groups, e.g.
female or LGBTQ+
None

9%
4%
1%

Q: What company stakeholders are involved in updating your travel policy inaddition to travel management? Select all that apply.

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Travel policy priorities
Educating travelers is the top priority of travel buyers
when it comes to managing travel policies: Over halfagree.

Educate employees about travel policy

56%

Align travel policy with company goals

45%Increase control over policy compliance41%

Simplify travel policy

37%

Make travel policy more cost-focused

31%

Consolidate travel policy across regions

28%

Make travel policy more sustainable

24%

Improve traveler wellbeing

23%

Decrease the volume of business travel
Make travel policy more detailed

14%
8%

Q: What are your current priorities related to the travel policy? Select the top three.

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Travel policy challenges
Among the top-three challenges, buyers mention traveler education, working with policy exceptions and managing
travel policy across regions.
Educating travelers

63%Managing policy exceptions

46%

Managing policy across regions

42%

Controlling policy compliance41%

The policy revision is lengthy and cumbersome

26%

Having the right tools to implement policy updates, e.g. OBT with the policy
conditions loaded

22%

Proving its value to the company stakeholders

21%

Obtaining industry best practices

19%

Understanding the value of policy changes

18%

Bearing extra costs associated with introducing certain travel policies

11%Managing traveler profiles, e.g. non-employees or travelers with special needs
Don't know
Q: What challenges do you come across when updating the travel policy? Select the top three.

9%
4%

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Regional challenges

Local laws and regulations prove to be a majorcomplexity when it comes to managing policies acrossregions.

Local laws and regulations

44%

Influence of local culture

35%

Multiple business units withdifferent status

33%

Limited control in local markets

29%

Streamlining data and reporting
globally27%

Lack of internal local support

24%

Finding local suppliers

11%

None

11%

Don't know

9%

Q: What complexities do you encounter when managing travel policy invarious countries or regions? Select all that apply.

Impact of policy on talentAccording to three out of 10 travel buyers, travel policy
has a positive impact on attracting and retaining talent.

32%
28%
25%

9%
6%

Somewhat
negative

No impact

Somewhat
positive

Extremely
positive

Don't know

Q: What's the impact of your travel policy on attracting and retaining talent?

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Travel policy regulations
Effectiveness of travel policy
Enforcing travel policy
Mandated policy elements
Business class rules
Prohibited travel suppliers
In-policy air ancillaries
In-policy hotel ancillaries
Cost-control measures
Recent travel budget reductions

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Effectivenessof travel policy

Two-thirds of travel buyers consider their travel policy
to be extremely or very effective.
52%

29%

12%
6%
1%
Not effectiveat allSlightlyeffective

Moderately Very effective Extremely
effective
effective

Q: How effective is your current travel policy? Select one.

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Enforcing travel policy
Most employers enforce travel policy applying rules in online booking tools,
improving traveler communication or managing travel expenses. Rewarding
compliant behavior isn’t common.

Highlight policy compliant travel options in theOBT

51%

Perform an audit of travel expenses

50%

Regularly communicate travel policy and itschanges via multiple channels

49%

Require pre-trip approval48%

Facilitate employees' access to the travel policy

45%

of policyoptions
booking
Restrict outRestrictof policyout
bookings
in options
the OBT

43%

Escalate the cases of reimbursement for noncompliant travel expenses
Do not reimburse for non-compliant travel
expenses
Send travelers on-trip reminders about policy
compliant travel behavior
Reward compliant traveler behavior

Q: How do you enforce your travel policy? Select all that apply.

27%
26%
18%
1%

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Mandated policy elements
Among the travel policy elements, air class is mandated most frequently: Nine in 10 travel buyers say so. Over halfmandate use of corporate cards, car rental class and meal allowance.
Air class88%

Corporate credit card use

62%

Car rental class

27%

56%

Meal allowance47%

Car rental supplier

46%

Rail class

13%

Rail supplier

12%

27%

49%

17%

53%

20%

59%

16%

Rail instead of air, where possible

11%

30%

24%

Direct flights

24%
43%

27%

Hotel supplier

21%

29%

34%

Air supplier

7%

28%

43%

Hotel class11%

37%

51%

Hotel room rate cap

Public transportation use

10%

17%

55%
43%
38%

8%

What travel policy elements do you mandate? Select what applies.

44%
50%

57%
Mandated

29%

Encouraged but not mandated

35%
Neither mandated nor encouraged

Business class rules

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Most travel policies factor in flight duration whendefining the rules around traveling business class. Onaverage, business class is allowed on flights overseven hours long.

79%

60%

56%

7hoursavg
Flight duration, Traveler profile, Geography, e.g.
hours
e.g. directors intercontinentallyand above

Q: When are your employees allowed to travel business class?
Select the parameters that apply.

15%
6%
Other

None - businessclass is notallowedHOME

Prohibited travel suppliers
Eight in 10 travel buyers say their policy doesn’t allow
the use of sharing economy accommodation.

27%
Chauffeured
cars

34%
Servicedapartments

80%
Sharing economy
accommodation

Q: Which of the following travel suppliers does your policy prohibit? Select all that apply.

In-policy air ancillaries

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Travel policies rarely include airline priority boarding,lounge access or class upgrades.

Baggage fees

89%Airplane seat selection

48%

On-board Wi-Fi

46%

Security clearance programs, e.g.
TSA PreCheck42%

On-board food and beverages

34%

Priority boarding

12%

Airline lounge access11%

Air class upgrades

6%

In-flight entertainment

4%

Q: According to your policy, what air service charges do you reimburse for?
Select all that apply.

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In-policy hotel ancillaries
Among in-policy hotel ancillaries, Wi-Fi charges arecovered most often, while room upgrades aren’tincluded.

Wi-Fi charges

75%

Hotel room service

55%

Hotel laundry service

52%

Early check-in / late check-out

45%

Hotel room minibar

16%

Access to fitness club orswimming pool

15%Entertainment / movie rental

2%

Hotel room upgrades1%

Q: What hotel service charges do you reimburse for? Select all that apply.

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Cost-control measures
Six in 10 travel buyers say their company reduced its travel budget in the past few years, and 96% introduced costcontrol policies, most popular aiming to reduce the travel volume.
Encourage meetings online
Cut all non-essential travel
Encourage fewer but longer trips
Use tools to lower the cost of a trip, e.g. price assurance
Strict travel expense control
Limit number of employees on a trip
Use public transportation instead of taxis
Lower class of air travel
Reduce extras, e.g. club membership or upgrades
Decrease the category of hotels
Allow booking directly with suppliers if the price is lower
None
Reduce the meal allowance

80%
58%
34%
33%
26%
23%
14%
14%
6%
6%
5%
4%
1%
Q: What cost-control measures did you introduce in the past few years? Select all that apply.

Recent travel budget reduction

41% NO
Q: In the past few years, did your company reduce its travel budget?

59% YESHOME

Travel policy updates
and communication
Frequency of policy updates
Last policy update
Communication channels
The effectiveness of communication
Trends shaping travel policy

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Frequency of policy updates

Last policy update

Over half of buyers revise travel policy every coupleof years or more often, while three in 10 do thiswhen needed.

Two-thirds of travel buyers have recently revised
their policy.

30%
In 2024

26%

22%

22%
In 202310%42%2021 - 2022

7%

12%

4%
2016 - 2020
Severaltimes ayear

AnnuallyEvery 2-3years

8%

Every 4-5 No specific Don't knowyears
timeline,
when theneed arises

Q: How often do you revise your travel policy?

Q: When was the last time you updated your travel policy?

Communication channels

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Intranet is the primary instrument for communicating
policy updates to company employees: Three-quarters
use this method, followed by half using email.

Articles on company intranet

78%

Direct emails

53%

Banners and pop-up windows in
the OBT36%

Training

35%

Internal meetings

26%

Announcements on social networks

21%

Blog posts

17%

Webinars

15%

Don't know

2%

Q: What communication channels do you use to update youremployees about the travel policy? Select all that apply.

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The effectiveness ofcommunication
Buyers’ views are split over the effectiveness of travel
policy communication.

46%

28%
15%
8%
3%
Not effectiveat allSlightlyeffective

Moderately
effective

Rathereffective

Extremely
effective

Q: How effective is your communication of travel policy news and updates?

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Trends shaping travel policy
Sustainability and duty of care are expected to keep shaping travel policies in the near future.

Sustainable travel

64%Safety and security

61%

Technology advancements

52%

NewDistribution
distribution Capability
capability (NDC)
New

46%

Traveler wellbeing

41%

New traveler needs

33%

Hybrid work environment

31%

New payment and expense options

27%

Bleisure

19%

DE&I
Don't know

Q: What trends do you expect to shape your travel policy? Select all that apply.

16%
3%

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Natalia Tretyakevich
Senior Manager, Research & Intelligence
Spainnatalia.tretyakevich@bcdtravel.eu

We have carefully researched and checked the information contained. However, we do not accept any
liability for any damage or loss as a result of the use of the information contained in this report.