As the business sector focuses on balancing employee and traveler experiences with corporate environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals, Amadeus has conducted a new survey that explores the changing landscape in detail by interviewing 500 senior executives responsible for business travel across ten major markets.

Paying for expenses with personal funds and reclaiming them from the company was cited as one of the biggest issues for travel managers. The cost of auditing expenses, in addition to the productivity loss due to manual claims and the difficulty of identifying fraud, was also highlighted.

The results confirm that there is a willingness to invest to drive change. More than half (52%) of corporate travel managers are currently investing to gain better control over the expense process. Key agenda items for almost one in two companies (48% of respondents) include implementing technology that promotes virtual payments paid by the company, avoiding out-of-pocket expenses for travelers, and working to better integrate expense management technology with internal systems.

Helping the company achieve its sustainability goals is another key area of investment over the next 12 months that 64% of business travel executives mention. New technology will once again drive change in this area, and at its simplest, more sustainable travel options can be expected to use data to define clear carbon reduction targets. Various initiatives include: the ability to purchase sustainable aviation fuel, giving travelers control over carbon budget decisions, gamification to incentivize and encourage more sustainable choices among employees, etc.

Artificial intelligence (AI) and/or machine learning were considered most important in both the short and medium term from a short list of options. Digitalization and digital payments are expected to have an impact in the near future.

With rising travel costs and a drive for more sustainable and informed decisions, there is renewed interest in predicting what role augmented reality or the metaverse may play for business travel in the coming years.

Overall, the corporate sector plans to invest 13% more in travel technology in 2024 than last year.

Johan Nordqvist, CEO Amadeus in Scandinavia, says: "”The results demonstrate a growing belief and trust in technology’s ability to deliver solutions that are not only efficient but also enhance the employee experience. At Amadeus, we are prepared to support these investment strategies that aim to refine travel and expense management, as well as enable employees to make more environmentally conscious travel choices.”