Flight Centre Travel Group reported that U.S. bookings for
its corporate brands to several international markets were up significantly
year over year in April as domestic bookings "remained steady,"
according to data released by the company this week.
The data, based on flight bookings made by Flight Centre's
Corporate Traveler and FCM Travel travel management companies, showed a 2
percent year-over-year increase in domestic bookings. Bookings from the U.S. to
some international markets, however, jumped by double-digit percentage levels
during the month. Those include South Africa (up 53 percent), United Arab
Emirates (up 52 percent), Italy (up 31 percent) and Brazil (up 17 percent). In
addition, U.S. bookings to the U.K. were up 7 percent year over year and
bookings to Japan were up 6 percent year over year.
Corporate Traveler USA president John Van den Heuvel in a
statement said the data shows that corporate travel demand has not slowed
despite the
economic uncertainty around U.S. tariff policy. In fact, he said the
tariffs could have driven some of those large international increases.
"Following the introduction of recent tariffs, we’ve
noticed a bit of a shift in demand for international travel, with corporate
travelers starting to explore new overseas relationships and tap into emerging
markets," according to Van den Heuvel. "With these overseas trips,
businesses can identify alternative sourcing options, diversify their market
presence, and enhance their global reputation."