Business travel spending
growth in Western Europe this year looks to be lower than previously projected,
according to a report from the Global Business Travel Association.
The exception is Germany,
where the group projected the highest 2013 business travel spending growth rate
of the five countries it examined. GBTA projected 2013 business spending there
to increase 5 percent year over year, higher than its projection of 3.3 percent last September.
GBTA, however, projected a
6.2 percent decrease in business travel spending in 2013 for Spain, a sharper
decline than the 1.6 percent drop in the previous forecast. France and Italy
also are expected to see year-over-year reductions in business travel spending,
with current forecasts down 1.4 percent and 2.9 percent, respectively.
For the United Kingdom,
the September growth projection of 2.8 percent for 2013 was cut to 1.9 percent.
"In the context of
the struggling European economy our expectations for business travel spending
in Western Europe are relatively positive for 2013," according to a
statement attributed to GBTA regional director for Europe Catherine McGavock. "There
are signs of recovery."
Domestic business travel
spending in particular will be a key factor for Germany and the United Kingdom,
with growth rates now projected at 5.7 percent and 2.2 percent, respectively.
GBTA's latest domestic spending forecast for France is marginally positive,
while Italy (down 2.8 percent) and Spain (down 5.4 percent) continue to lag.
For 2014, GBTA's
projections are brighter, with all five countries expected to see higher total
business travel spending, again led by Germany (5 percent) and, in a reversal
from the 2013 forecast, France (4.7 percent).