European travel and meetings buyers are most focused on enforcing their organizations' travel policies and determining corporate travel's return on investment, according to the first research project undertaken by NBTA Europe. Based on responses from 152 travel and meeting buyers from organizations with an average annual expenditure of €36 million, collected between 8 April and 6 May, issues of importance during the coming year include ongoing examination of travel ROI, as well as potential changes to taxation, airline price and product unbundling, credit card merchant fees and the environmental impact of travel.
"With continued shifts in pricing and distribution expected to be significant, it appears that a great deal of attention is being given and will continue to be given across Europe to policy, compliance and enforcement and the tools available to business travel and meetings buyers to manage these aspects," according to NBTA Europe managing director Paul Tilstone. "But issues previously considered to be emerging are now becoming entrenched in the travel and meeting manager's portfolio. Content, environment and determining the ROI of travel and meetings programs appear to be fundamental elements of any modern travel and meetings program, with traveler safety and security underpinning everything."
Three in 10 respondents said enforcing travel policy was the one aspect of their travel and meetings programs that currently "requires the most attention." It was followed by ROI of travel and meetings (23 percent).
Looking ahead, 83 percent said understanding the ROI of business travel and "face-to-face meetings" would be "very" or "somewhat" important in the coming year. Fifty-nine percent said changes in European taxation as it relates to travel and meetings would be very or somewhat important while 46 percent indicated that integrated rail pricing, data and billing across the region would be very or somewhat important.
At 4 percent, "environment and CSR" and "content fragmentation" were the areas listed in the survey with the smallest number of respondents saying they currently require the most attention, but according to the research, that may change.
On the issue of content, 39 percent opined that "more widespread" airline unbundling is very likely during the next year, and 44 percent said credit card merchant fees passed to buyers would be very likely. Sixty-two percent indicated they'd like to see "more discussion and debate between the European Commission and our industry" on unbundling and comparative pricing--the largest response rate of any such item listed for that question.
Regarding the environment, 36 percent of respondents said reducing greenhouse gas emissions from travel during the next year would be "very important." Another 42 percent said it would be "somewhat important." [A majority of respondents, 56 percent, said that such alternatives to travel as remote conferencing have "resulted in less travel" at the organizations, which of course also reduces travel-related emissions.]
Other top areas in which respondents want more discussion with EC included traveler security (54 percent), although rail security and hotel security, specifically, garnered the fewest responses, at 19 percent and 14 percent, respectively, while 42 percent indicated they'd like to see more debate on airport security; aviation alliances (42 percent); and "open skies" aviation treaties between governments (39 percent).
Meanwhile, other responses on which developments likely would impact the European travel industry most during the next few years related to dynamic hotel pricing; car rental no-show fees and nonrefundable rates; mergers among suppliers; airline alliances; reduced air capacity to certain destinations; and airlines using direct connections to bypass global distribution systems and travel agencies.