Purposeful business travel has become a catch phrase in the managed travel space, but what does it mean and how does it impact how companies need to view the value of travel and what it means to be a productive, compliant business traveler? This BTN Intelligence study looks at the reasons for business travel and how both companies and individuals support productivity and business objectives across the phases of the business trip life cycle. Where are the productivity gaps? Where are the compliance gaps and where are the procurement and people management gaps? This study showed, by and large, that companies are doing a good job supporting travelers, but thinking outside of the box and pursuing business-led travel management innovations could bring new purpose and value to business travelers and their companies. Read the series below.

Part 1. Employee Success & SatisfactionBy Elizabeth West

What’s the value of business travel? That’s a perennial question for buyers whether their program is managed or unmanaged. Companies want to know that the face-to-face interactions they fund will deliver results to their bottom lines. But what else can it deliver?  ... KEEP READING

Part 2. Engaging with PolicyBy Elizabeth West

In an age of AI, the concept of a more personalized travel policy is starting to emerge, but it’s still an idea on fringes for most companies. Rather, policy communication is becoming the purview of AI as the arc of the technology aspires to more.... KEEP READING

Part 3. Supplier Satisfaction & LoyaltyBy Elizabeth West

Business travelers are highly satisfied with supplier choice and performance offered within their travel programs. They find more value from suppliers with which they also have loyalty affinity—and those bonds, while sometimes hard to navigate within a program, can also... KEEP READING

Part 4. Booking Tools & TechnologiesBy Elizabeth West

Travel managers have a lot at stake in their choice of online booking tools. Traditionally, they have looked to curate travel content for travelers without alienating users with clunky tech or impractical restrictions. It can be a tough balance, and more travel managers are... KEEP READING

Methodology

Business Travel News fielded from Aug. 5 to 28 the 2025 Business Traveler Purpose & Productivity survey to 500 business travelers who took at least three business trips annually, including air or rail travel and an overnight stay. in the last 12 months. The 500 respondents represented a cross section of managed, lightly managed and unmanaged travelers; their companies ranged from large multinational firms with more than 25,000 employees to small and midsize businesses with fewer than 100 employees.  

Webinar

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Traveler Purpose & ProductivityThurs., Oct. 30 at 11:30 am ET / 8:30 am PT / 3:30 pm GMTWatch Now

Join BTN in discussing a new survey of 500 business travelers about their supplier service levels, airport encounters, disruption, and other relevant trip experiences. Expert panelists will go over the stats on travelers’ attitudes toward business travel and generational distinctions in the workplace. They’ll also examine the value of travel in achieving job goals, as well as how it can help drive employee loyalty and satisfaction.

Guest speakers will share traveler-focused initiatives they’ve recently undertaken at their companies—in technology, policy, communications, or networking. As they reflect on this facet of their programs, they will have the chance to ask about and critique each other’s initiatives. How did they identify missing pieces in their travelers’ experience? How did they strategically and fairly address those issues for the company? What considerations were made and what ended up being implemented? Get the answers to these questions and more when you attend the upcoming webinar.

Speakers:

Michelle De Costa, Head, Global Meetings and Travel, Center of Excellence, Takeda
Kathy Burdge, Senior Manager, Global Travel, Adobe

Moderator:
Elizabeth West, Vice President, Content, The BTN Group

Sponsored by

ubercapone