GBTA 2023 – A Positive Outlook for Global Business Travel’s Rebound
The 2023 Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) Convention concluded in Dallas, TX last week. GBTA reported over 5,200 business travel professionals in attendance from around the world, including Dwellworks Living Sales Directors Patti Charlton and Chris Murphy.
The event, considered the most essential conference in the business travel industry, included a recap of the Global Business Travel Index (BTI) Outlook published on August 1. The BTI Outlook from GBTA research predicts that by the end of 2024, business travel spending will exceed 2019 numbers of $1.4 trillion and achieve $1.8 trillion by 2027. An important caveat: global travel spend reflects inflation and the increased cost of goods and services, as well as a return to volume on a worldwide scale.
“Being at GBTA and feeling the energy of the great people in the travel industry was terrific,” says Patti Charlton. “It was comforting to hear that travel is expected to recover to pre-pandemic levels more quickly than initially anticipated, and the highlights for me were the actions everyone in the travel industry is taking to reduce our carbon footprint.”
Key topics at the conference included multiple conversations on supply chain procurement and negotiations, as travel buyers review their contracts and suppliers in the first full post-pandemic year. Sustainable procurement is an important factor in supplier review. Dwellworks Living is one of several alternative accommodations providers partnering with the Corporate Housing Providers Association in helping to define standardized, sustainable procurement criteria, in line with the groundbreaking work done by GBTA.
Beyond sustainability, cost controls, and contracting, other sessions addressed traveler expectations, expanded interest in longer-term accommodations options, and innovations in travel tech, fuel/carbon emissions management, and customer engagement. Patti commented, “Airbnb and other marketplace platforms were notably absent at this year’s GBTA. Companies seem very focused on minimizing liabilities and maximizing compliance and legality.”
The conference was decidedly global in its content and audience. Chris Murphy noticed the upbeat vibe and interest in re-establishing connections that had gone quiet during the pandemic. “It was a remarkable global conference with peers from around the world. The event emphasized the revival of face-to-face gatherings in the post-pandemic landscape, with a focus on sustainable policies and practices.”
Dwellworks Living’s Stuart Giam, Director of Client Services, APAC will join the GBTA event in Singapore, September 19-20, and Vincenzo Marino, Sales Director, EMEA, will be in Hamburg, Germany for the GBTA – VDR conference, November 14-16. The July 2024 GBTA Convention in the US will be hosted in Atlanta, Georgia. Schedule a meeting with Vincenzo here and email [email protected] to meet with him.
For more information on key topics related to global business travel priorities and corporate housing/alternative accommodations solutions, see other articles in our blog, and read our white papers from Chris and Patti and schedule a meeting with them here.
Dwellworks Living: Global Solutions for Corporate Accommodations
Dwellworks Living is committed to providing our clients and their employees with the best possible corporate housing and serviced accommodations experience. With a global network of property partners, a tri-regional team of customer experience and supply chain professionals, and a wide range of services for global mobility and travel customers, Dwellworks Living can provide the perfect corporate housing solution for any need or budget.
Dwellworks Living is the global corporate housing solution of Dwellworks, an award-winning, business-to-business provider of global mobility and business travel services. As a global leader in corporate housing and serviced accommodations solutions, Dwellworks Living is uniquely positioned to meet the temporary living needs of businesses and their employees who are relocating or traveling on short-, medium- or extended-stays. With 60,000 high-quality professionally managed properties in over 125 countries worldwide, Dwellworks Living is the preferred housing solutions partner of many Fortune 1000 and leading relocation management companies.
Dwellworks Living's corporate housing and serviced accommodations solutions are designed to help businesses attract and retain top talent, support employee productivity, and ensure a smooth and successful relocation or business travel experience. In addition to our core global accommodations management services, Dwellworks Living, through our worldwide network of local experts, is uniquely capable of offering our clients expanded and related services, such as area orientations, group move assistance, destination services and intercultural training.
Whether you have corporate housing needs for an individual employee or a large team, Dwellworks Living can provide the serviced accommodations solutions you need anywhere in the world to ensure a safe and successful stay. Please contact us to learn more or visit our Properties page to begin your search for global corporate housing accommodations.