Pegasus Solutions reported
that business travel is "gaining momentum" as global GDS booking
volume in February grew 0.5 percent year over year (excluding Leap Day bookings
on Feb. 29). That reversed the drops reported for January and December. North
America hotel rates booked through global distribution systems in February increased
by 7.1 percent year over year, while rates globally increased by a more
moderate 3.7 percent, according to Pegasus.
Within North America, comparable
February GDS bookings were down 0.9 percent year over year, a narrower decline than
the 4.5 percent and 2 percent decreases in December and January, respectively.
Comparable GDS bookings were up 2.2 percent in the rest of the world. Africa,
Asia and Oceania had the largest booking growth, partially skewed by decreased
travel during last year's Arab Spring protests.
Pegasus projected that
business travel will continue accelerating during coming months, along with a "stable
and dependable" growth in rates. "While travel is recovering slowly,
the travel industry is recovering faster than the economy for most countries,"
according to the company.