Travel buyers' optimism about the state of the business travel industry has grown in the past few months, according to a new Global Business Travel Association survey, released Thursday.
About 40 percent of 247 buyers surveyed Oct. 2-14 by GBTA indicated they were "optimistic" or "very optimistic" regarding the overall outlook for 2025 for the business travel industry. That's up from 29 percent of buyer respondents in a July survey.
When broadened to include all surveyed industry professionals, including suppliers and third parties, about 43 percent in the most recent survey said they were optimistic or very optimistic about the industry, up from 28 percent in July.
The results come at a time of some signs, if not unanimous agreement, suggesting at least some upswing in overall U.S. business travel demand after a slowdown in the spring and summer.
Some analysts consider the 2025 actions of the U.S. government to have played a part in that slowdown, and a good portion of GBTA's buyer respondents have seen an effect.
Without specifying which actions, about 35 percent of the buyer respondents projected their company's business travel volume would decrease "as a result of U.S. government announcements/actions." That's about steady from the 34 percent who said so in July and up from 29 percent in April.
"Business travel is showing signs of resilience and adaptation, with optimism rebounding and new patterns emerging," said GBTA CEO Suzanne Neufang in a statement. "However, the poll results also underscore the need for thoughtful strategies to navigate external pressures and internal policy shifts."