Around 90 percent of travel managers and procurement professionals in a new Global Business Travel Association survey said they think their companies will spend less on travel this year than in 2019, with an average budget decline of 52 percent.
The survey was conducted Jan. 11-18 and received 733 responses, 50 percent of whom were travel buyers.
Meanwhile, 49 percent of travel buyer respondents reported their employees are somewhat or very willing to travel, down from 53 percent in December, and 24 percent indicated employees were unwilling to travel, up from 21 percent last month.
About 30 percent of travel buyer respondents reported they won't require employees to certify they have tested negative for the coronavirus before they travel, while 9 percent already require it and 8 percent plan to. The remaining 53 percent were not sure.
As to the question of whether their companies will require employees to certify they have received a coronavirus vaccine, 26 percent respondents said they would not, while 8 percent intend to require it and 1 percent said they already do. The remaining 65 percent of buyers were unsure.
Nearly 44 percent of buyers indicated they were comfortable with travel suppliers using mobile apps to verify the health status of passengers, with 19 percent "neither uncomfortable or comfortable," 11 percent "not comfortable," and 10 percent "not comfortable at all" and 16 percent unsure.