Blurred lines wane between business and leisure

Blurred lines wane between business and leisure

Business travellers are catching on to widespread trends and want more in the way of customisation, a new CWT report reveals.

Business travellers are keen to adopt tools and apps just like those offered in leisure travel and retails sectors, as they catch on to trends like the sharing economy, according to the latest Carlson Wagonlit Travel (CWT) report.

Key innovations such as Big Data, virtual credit cards and social media are all paving the way for further “markets of one” customisation – a term coined for a level of personal preferences and service which makes customers feel they are being treated exclusively, CWT states in its report, Faster, smarter, better?

However, while travellers express concern about issues such as data security, they weigh up changes when it makes their lives easier, and better, which especially rings true as providers continue to find ways to address these issues with their offerings.

The report tackles the five key trends transforming the world of business travel: customisation; mobile technology; the sharing economy; new booking methods; and new payment solutions and was created following a survey of over 127 travel managers and 1,080 travellers.

One travel procurement and policy manager surveyed said, “TMCs are able to collect massive amounts of data and are in a position to build travel services that precisely match travellers’ wishes.”

The study reveals 35% of travel managers plan to incorporate these technologies and trends they ranked as important into their travel programs, and 38% are actively considering them. From those seeking to incorporate these trends, 56% plan to do so within the next year, CWT reports.

“As the pace of technological change is accelerating, so is market readiness for new ways of buying, managing and experiencing travel,” CWT Global Enterprise Strategy, executive vice president, David Moran said.

“In this increasingly connected world, the role of the TMC is also continuing to change – we’re helping clients to navigate these changes, providing new technology as well as ensuring they see all the benefits from the data that these new technologies provide.”

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