Most travel buyers are face servicing issues with their
online booking tools and have not fully integrated meetings and travel,
according to a survey of 195 corporate travel managers conducted by Direct
Travel, Spotnana, Troop and the Global Business Travel Association.
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Top Travel Buyer Challenges
Credit: Direct Travel, GBTA March 2025 survey of 195 travel buyers
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In the survey, conducted from March 4 through March 14, 64
percent of respondents said they have issues managing exchanges and
cancellations in their OBTs. Servicing was an issue in particular for New
Distribution Capability content, with only 13 percent of respondents saying
their OBT supported self-service NDC changes. In addition, 63 percent of
respondents said they needed better integration between their travel management
company and their OBT.
TMC-related issues were cited by a smaller percentage of
buyers in the survey, with 41 percent saying they experience inconsistent
service and 36 percent reporting poor tech functionality. More than a quarter
of buyers in the survey said they are considering switching TMCs.
For meetings and events, 80 percent of respondents said
their meetings and travel programs are siloed off completely or are just
partially integrated. About two-thirds of respondents said small meetings are
happening outside of their managed programs.
Amid those challenges, costs are the biggest concerns for
travelers, according to the survey. Nearly 90 percent of respondents cited
rising costs as a top challenge. About three-quarters of respondents said hotel
leakage was a top challenge, and 57 percent said the same of booking friction.