The first day of this year’s Global Business Travel Association (GBTA)’s APAC Conference held at the Sands Expo and Conference Centre in Singapore offered several key insights as to how the business travel segment is evolving throughout the region.

We share some of the key insights we gleaned from yesterday, 12th May, and hope that you can share them with your respective organisations.

The big thing to remember is that the sector, as with the global travel industry in general, is highly dynamic; while the ideas presented have the potential for sector-wide transformation, these may still be changed or influenced by whatever socioeconomic or geopolitical events that may ensue in the days to come.

The need to invest in people matters

Towards the end of the day, GBTA pointed out that the best way to future-proof the global business travel sector is to invest in the training of its people.

In which case, the Association has three specific programmes towards that goal:

• GBTA WINIT seeks to advance women and drive equitable leadership through membership, mentorship, education, recognition, and global community;
• GBTA Ladders supports the next generation of industry leaders via team-based mentorship and real-life challenges, essentially equipping them with the skills and confidence to lead in a rapidly evolving industry. By doing so, the Association is creating awareness regarding opportunities in the field whilst offering clear pathways into potential careers in the field of business travel; and
• GBTA Accessibility is focused on building an industry that works for everyone through specially curated toolkits that embed inclusive practices into programmes and travel experiences.

The need to change key performance indicators

The discussion on The Big Idea invited the audience to consider a major paradigm shift when it comes to monitoring the performance of their business travel initiatives.

Indeed, traditional corporate travel KPIs are becoming outdated in an AI-enabled, multi-channel travel environment.

With a greater number of corporate travel managers, advisors, and even individual travellers booking their trips via a widening range of channels, traditional metrics for success are slipping into obsolescence.

According to panellists, indicators like average response time to inquiries need to be scrapped in favour of service efficiency, the overall traveller experience, personalised traveller support, and even the efficiency of process automation.

Panelist Evgenia Kataeva of Thunes also proposed the creation of a traveller wellbeing index to gauge the impact of travel on an individual’s mental and physical health.

The need to look to the development of the Asian business travel sector

With still no end in sight for the West Asia conflict that has adversely impacted the global economy and international relations, the business travel sector needs to look to Asia, particularly Southeast Asia, for growth.

Per our interview with GBTA chief executive Suzanne Neufang, the region is prime for growth, especially as manufacturing, one of its major economic pillars, is considered one of the largest industries that embarks on business travel.

Neufang likewise cited the growing number of facilities within the region not just for business travel, but also for the resurgent MICE industry which has grown by leaps and bounds since the end of the pandemic.

The need to take bleisure seriously

While the concept of blended trips, jaunts that combine both business and pleasure, isn’t new, it is a field that stands to grow significantly in the days to come.

Especially in cities like Singapore and Bangkok which offer numerous attractions to entice even the busiest working traveller, a growing number of people are extending their stays post-event or post-project to get a bit of rest and recreation in,or squeeze in some quality time with family or friends.

It’s a particularly inviting proposition for business travellers who run through several meetings in the course of a single trip as it enables them to refresh themselves before the trip home and the return to the grind.

The need to see meetings and events as a major business enabler

During one of the key morning breakout panels, it was pointed out how the meetings and events (M&E) industry has evolved from a logistics-driven function into a strategic business enabler. 

Indeed, a number of companies worldwide have rebranded their event departments to emphasise collaboration and business value rather than compliance. 

As such, events are considered tools for driving business outcomes, relationships, innovation, and corporate culture.