A significant majority of corporate travel departments have implemented stricter booking policies amid the Covid-19 pandemic, and many of those requirements are likely to become permanent, according to a new study from the Global Business Travel Association.
Conducted in partnership with Deem, the GBTA report canvassed travel managers in the United States and Canada between late October and early November 2020, with 138 respondents answering questions regarding changes to corporate booking polices in the wake of the pandemic.
Stricter pre-trip approval processes were the most commonly adopted safeguard, with 86 percent of travel manager respondents saying their company had tightened controls in that area. However, those measures largely will remain in place only for the duration of the pandemic, with only 19 percent planning to maintain them permanently and 24 percent saying they weren't yet sure.
But while Covid-induced pre-trip approval rules may be temporary for most respondents, enhanced requirements around in-channel booking are much more likely to remain in place post-pandemic, the study found.
Such measures were less commonly implemented by respondents compared to pre-trip approval: 49 percent had tightened requirements to book through a particular online booking tool or travel management company, while 35 percent had enacted stricter preferred supplier mandates, and 44 percent had cracked down harder on rules against booking directly with a supplier or through an online travel agency.
However, those changes were planned to be permanent by around three-quarters of respondents across each category, with an additional 6 percent to 10 percent considering permanent implementation, the study revealed.