As global travel spending upswings, India shines as an influential market strengthening the corporate confidence outpacing many mature economies.
MT Bureau
The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) Outlook – Annual Global Report & Forecast July 2025 predicts global business travel spending to reach a record US$1.57 trillion in 2025, reflecting a moderate growth of 6.6 per cent over 2024.
While this builds on near double‑digit gains in previous years, the pace is slower than last year’s forecast, dampened by trade policy volatility, inflationary trends, and shifting global supply chains.
In 2024, business travel spending reached US$1.47 trillion, slightly below the prior estimate of US$1.48 trillion. Although nominal spending has surpassed pre‑pandemic levels, inflation-adjusted volume remains 14 per cent below 2019 benchmarks. The forecast anticipates a rebound to 8.1 per cent growth in 2026, with continued moderate growth at 6.4 per cent in 2027 and 6.3 per cent in 2028.
Regional analysis highlights that the top 15 business travel markets led by the US (US$395 billion) and China (US$373 billion) account for US$1.31 trillion of total spending. Among these, emerging markets like India, South Korea and Turkey are posting the strongest gains, whereas Spain and the Netherlands show limited growth. Sector-specific performance varies as manufacturing industry, which remains highly sensitive to trade tensions currently lags the pace, while professional services, arts and entertainment exceed pre-2019 levels.
Traveller sentiment remains robust. In a survey of 7,300+ global business travellers, 86 per cent agreed their trips were ‘worthwhile’, with conferences and training standing as the top purpose for the trip. Most had taken between one and five trips during the past year, and over 80 per cent are now travelling as much or more than pre-2019. The average per-trip spend rose to US$1,128, a significant rise from US$834 the previous year. Additionally, mobile wallet adoption and corporate card usage are climbing in many regions.
Blurb: The forecast anticipates a rebound to 8.1 per cent growth in 2026, with continued moderate growth at 6.4 per cent in 2027 and 6.3 per cent in 2028
