Business travel is rebounding strongly as face-to-face meetings have regained their value. There’s a growing interest among HR and Global Mobility professionals across all industries for insights into current and future international business travel trends and how companies are supporting this employee segment.
International Travel Trends To Know
Most travel managers expect their corporate travel expenditures to grow again in the year ahead – with industries like Tech, Finance, and Healthcare leading the recovery – as 70% of companies have resumed business travel in 2025, up from 45% in 2022 per a Deloitte Study.
Further, consider that:
- Global business travel spending is projected to reach $1.52 trillion in 2025 – a 36% recovery from pre-pandemic levels per Global Business Travel Association (GBTA)
- 2025 regional business travel spending is on the rise:
- U.S. projected to reach $350 billion in 2025 per an article in Hospitality.net
- Spending to reach $517.2 billion in Europe by 2028, with growth outpacing most global regions except Asia Pacific, according to new regional data from GBTA
- In 2025, per Market Data Forecast, business travel spending in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region is projected to reach approximately $379.5 billion and $749.55 billion by 2033
- LATAM’s business travel reached $50.6 billion in 2024; IMARC Group expects it to reach $86.9 billion by 2033
- Business travel in the Middle East and North Africa region rose by 50% in Q1 2025 compared to Q1 2024 and is set to reach $270.8 billion by 2030 per business travel platform Tumodo
The Rise of “Bleisure” Travel
There’s a clear trend of more employees combining business trips with leisure travel. According to reporting by HotelTechReport.com:
- Per TRAVELSAVERS, U.S. business travelers undertake over 405 million long-haul business trips annually and, of all business trips, more than 40% included a portion dedicated to leisure.
- Of millennials, 78% extend their business trips to include vacation time, according to Chase.
- The new term "Quiet Vacationing" refers to the practice of employees taking time off without letting anyone, including direct managers, know about it. It is a trend particularly prevalent among younger workers and a 2024 Harris Poll survey found that 24% of Gen Z workers and 37% of Millennials have engaged in this practice.
Perhaps the last bullet above illustrates why some companies are re-evaluating the necessity of some business trips in 2025 by ensuring every employee’s journey has a clear return on investment.
However, international business travel ROI is difficult to calculate: "Calculating ROI now involves more than simply comparing the cost of travel to an immediate financial return. There are longer-term impacts to consider, such as employee satisfaction, wellbeing and retention, improved client or prospect relationships, and meeting sustainability goals," said Evelyn Hamilton, Global Bid Manager at Transcom in an interview with BTN Europe.
International Business Travel Compliance
Another key 2025 global trend centers around policy compliance – travel arrangements aligning with internal guidelines, and clear rules for employees to follow.
In a 2024 corporate travel study by Deloitte, 55% of companies cite business compliance as a top issue – including cost controls, encouraging cheaper flight and hotel options. Yet Deloitte reports only 56% of business travelers who are aware their company has a corporate booking tool or agency always booked trips through this tool or agency.
This proves difficult for companies seeking to achieve full compliance with corporate travel policies.
In global mobility, flexibility in managing business travel is essential to meet the diverse needs of relocation programs. As part of a comprehensive approach, NEI ensures that employee travel is tracked through a dedicated travel management system, in line with best practices for efficient monitoring of travel-related expenses and logistics.
For programs engaging external travel providers, it is a common practice to collaborate with these providers to track and report relocation-related travel expenses, ensuring seamless data capture regardless of the provider.
Looking ahead, many organizations are integrating platforms like SAP Concur Travel to automate and streamline the business travel process. These platforms are designed to enhance efficiency by automating travel bookings and simplifying expense reporting, with mobile access to improve employee compliance. Paired with expense management solutions, they offer a consolidated view of travel data, enabling better control over spending and faster reimbursement.
Furthermore, Interactive tools, such as HeatMap features, are becoming integral for real-time visibility into employee travel and relocation. These tools allow organizations to track employee locations, monitor travel progress, and enhance program management.
Duty of Care & Sustainability
A client’s Duty of Care protocol should align with their internal Corporate Risk Management Team to advise employees traveling internationally about potential travel dangers:
- Reinforcing cybersecurity protocols, increasing traveler safety training, and using travel risk assessment tools.
- Adapting travel policies to address more frequent disruptions and ensure they have robust incident management processes in place to protect traveling employees, including potential visa and immigration issues that could significantly impact seamless travel.
- Acknowledging wellness of international travelers is real: a global survey by SAP/Concur found nearly two in five global business travelers (38%) say that during the trip is the most stressful stage of travel—a seven-point increase from the 31% of business travelers who said this in 2021.
Many businesses now offer stress-relief programs, access to mindfulness apps, and mental health support for frequent travelers.
Companies are also adjusting their policies to factor in Sustainability Directives which encourage more eco-friendly travel choices. Green travel policies are on the rise: Forbes reports carbon offset programs have been adopted by 27% of organizations and travel company Skift found 80% of business travelers want more sustainable options.
What’s Next for International Business Travel?
There’s no doubt that in-person networking opportunities strengthen team cohesion and engagement: a 2024 TravelPerk report found:
- 64% of business travel decision-makers believe that higher travel budgets lead to increased company revenue.
- 67% of business travelers believe their company would lose revenue without in-person meetings, while 95% of C-suite executives think they would lose customers.
Companies will need to strive balancing corporate international travel budgets with rising business needs in 2025 and beyond. Maximizing ROI while strengthening expense tracking and compliance will need to be combined with embracing emerging technology to ensure greater efficiency and cost savings.
NEI will help you stay informed on trends and will regularly update your travel benefits within relocation policy to reflect the latest international travel guidelines, alerts, and protocols.
If you would like to discuss international business traveler issues in greater detail, please reach out to your NEI Client Relations Manager or NEI Client Development contact at 800.533.7353 any time.
This material has been prepared for informational purposes only and is not intended to provide, and should not be relied on for tax, legal or accounting advice. Please consult your own tax, legal and accounting advisors before engaging in any transaction.
Business travel is rebounding strongly as face-to-face meetings have regained their value. There’s a growing interest among HR and Global Mobility professionals across all industries for insights into current and future international business travel trends and how companies are supporting this employee segment.
International Travel Trends To Know
Most travel managers expect their corporate travel expenditures to grow again in the year ahead – with industries like Tech, Finance, and Healthcare leading the recovery – as 70% of companies have resumed business travel in 2025, up from 45% in 2022 per a Deloitte Study.
Further, consider that:
- Global business travel spending is projected to reach $1.52 trillion in 2025 – a 36% recovery from pre-pandemic levels per Global Business Travel Association (GBTA)
- 2025 regional business travel spending is on the rise:
- U.S. projected to reach $350 billion in 2025 per an article in Hospitality.net
- Spending to reach $517.2 billion in Europe by 2028, with growth outpacing most global regions except Asia Pacific, according to new regional data from GBTA
- In 2025, per Market Data Forecast, business travel spending in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region is projected to reach approximately $379.5 billion and $749.55 billion by 2033
- LATAM’s business travel reached $50.6 billion in 2024; IMARC Group expects it to reach $86.9 billion by 2033
- Business travel in the Middle East and North Africa region rose by 50% in Q1 2025 compared to Q1 2024 and is set to reach $270.8 billion by 2030 per business travel platform Tumodo
The Rise of “Bleisure” Travel
There’s a clear trend of more employees combining business trips with leisure travel. According to reporting by HotelTechReport.com:
- Per TRAVELSAVERS, U.S. business travelers undertake over 405 million long-haul business trips annually and, of all business trips, more than 40% included a portion dedicated to leisure.
- Of millennials, 78% extend their business trips to include vacation time, according to Chase.
- The new term "Quiet Vacationing" refers to the practice of employees taking time off without letting anyone, including direct managers, know about it. It is a trend particularly prevalent among younger workers and a 2024 Harris Poll survey found that 24% of Gen Z workers and 37% of Millennials have engaged in this practice.
Perhaps the last bullet above illustrates why some companies are re-evaluating the necessity of some business trips in 2025 by ensuring every employee’s journey has a clear return on investment.
However, international business travel ROI is difficult to calculate: "Calculating ROI now involves more than simply comparing the cost of travel to an immediate financial return. There are longer-term impacts to consider, such as employee satisfaction, wellbeing and retention, improved client or prospect relationships, and meeting sustainability goals," said Evelyn Hamilton, Global Bid Manager at Transcom in an interview with BTN Europe.
International Business Travel Compliance
Another key 2025 global trend centers around policy compliance – travel arrangements aligning with internal guidelines, and clear rules for employees to follow.
In a 2024 corporate travel study by Deloitte, 55% of companies cite business compliance as a top issue – including cost controls, encouraging cheaper flight and hotel options. Yet Deloitte reports only 56% of business travelers who are aware their company has a corporate booking tool or agency always booked trips through this tool or agency.
This proves difficult for companies seeking to achieve full compliance with corporate travel policies.
In global mobility, flexibility in managing business travel is essential to meet the diverse needs of relocation programs. As part of a comprehensive approach, NEI ensures that employee travel is tracked through a dedicated travel management system, in line with best practices for efficient monitoring of travel-related expenses and logistics.
For programs engaging external travel providers, it is a common practice to collaborate with these providers to track and report relocation-related travel expenses, ensuring seamless data capture regardless of the provider.
Looking ahead, many organizations are integrating platforms like SAP Concur Travel to automate and streamline the business travel process. These platforms are designed to enhance efficiency by automating travel bookings and simplifying expense reporting, with mobile access to improve employee compliance. Paired with expense management solutions, they offer a consolidated view of travel data, enabling better control over spending and faster reimbursement.
Furthermore, Interactive tools, such as HeatMap features, are becoming integral for real-time visibility into employee travel and relocation. These tools allow organizations to track employee locations, monitor travel progress, and enhance program management.
Duty of Care & Sustainability
A client’s Duty of Care protocol should align with their internal Corporate Risk Management Team to advise employees traveling internationally about potential travel dangers:
- Reinforcing cybersecurity protocols, increasing traveler safety training, and using travel risk assessment tools.
- Adapting travel policies to address more frequent disruptions and ensure they have robust incident management processes in place to protect traveling employees, including potential visa and immigration issues that could significantly impact seamless travel.
- Acknowledging wellness of international travelers is real: a global survey by SAP/Concur found nearly two in five global business travelers (38%) say that during the trip is the most stressful stage of travel—a seven-point increase from the 31% of business travelers who said this in 2021.
Many businesses now offer stress-relief programs, access to mindfulness apps, and mental health support for frequent travelers.
Companies are also adjusting their policies to factor in Sustainability Directives which encourage more eco-friendly travel choices. Green travel policies are on the rise: Forbes reports carbon offset programs have been adopted by 27% of organizations and travel company Skift found 80% of business travelers want more sustainable options.
What’s Next for International Business Travel?
There’s no doubt that in-person networking opportunities strengthen team cohesion and engagement: a 2024 TravelPerk report found:
- 64% of business travel decision-makers believe that higher travel budgets lead to increased company revenue.
- 67% of business travelers believe their company would lose revenue without in-person meetings, while 95% of C-suite executives think they would lose customers.
Companies will need to strive balancing corporate international travel budgets with rising business needs in 2025 and beyond. Maximizing ROI while strengthening expense tracking and compliance will need to be combined with embracing emerging technology to ensure greater efficiency and cost savings.
NEI will help you stay informed on trends and will regularly update your travel benefits within relocation policy to reflect the latest international travel guidelines, alerts, and protocols.
If you would like to discuss international business traveler issues in greater detail, please reach out to your NEI Client Relations Manager or NEI Client Development contact at 800.533.7353 any time.
This material has been prepared for informational purposes only and is not intended to provide, and should not be relied on for tax, legal or accounting advice. Please consult your own tax, legal and accounting advisors before engaging in any transaction.
