Travel managers say online booking tools must support sustainability

Looking ahead to 2023, travel managers report that the biggest challenge confronting them is “influencing sustainable practice.”

The majority of buyers (75%) say they are dissatisfied with their online booking tool’s (OBT’s) ability to include carbon budgets and carbon emissions at point of sale, according to the Institute of Travel Management’s annual Trending Survey of buyer members .

According to ITM CEO Scott Davies, “There’s been progress in moving the dial to bring supplier sustainability measures into travel programs, but there’s still a lot of work to be done to embed these initiatives and influence traveler behavior.”

OBTs “need to evolve and play a critical role in helping travelers and bookers make responsible choices,” he adds.

Also in the ITM survey, travel managers point to OBT optimization as their top priority for the year ahead.

“Clearly, online booking performance is a major issue for buyers as it has surged from fifth on their list of priorities last year to the number-one spot for 2023,” Davies says.

Forty-four percent of survey respondents expect to see a significant shift from air to rail, and 19% expect to see greater use of serviced apartments instead of hotels.

The ITM Trending Survey of 100 corporate travel buyers, managers and heads of travel was conducted over a two-week period in November. ITM is a professional body in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

In a separate study, International SOS highlights the biggest risks facing business travelers in 2023. Key findings from the Risk Outlook 2023 report include:

• Businesses must protect employees through “the ongoing impact of the unpredictable geopolitical security situation”
• Organizations will prioritize support of business travelers, with 86% of organization maintaining or increasing their travel risk management budgets in 2023
• Climate change could accelerate the emergence of infectious diseases, such as another pandemic.

The International SOS report is based on a survey of 1,218 senior risk professionals across 108 countries.