Corporate Travel Executives Reflect on a Year of Uncertainty

The past year was full of mergers, surprise breakups, economic instability, political battles, and international upheaval — all of which shook business travel. For the full year, a Global Business Travel Association forecast says business travel volume in the United States is expected to grow only 1 percent, while spending is projected to drop 0.6 percent. While business travel spending is expected to increase 6 percent this year in Western Europe, spending growth in the UK is projected to slow to 2.4 percent in 2017. That's due to the decision by UK voters to leave the European Union, a process that is likely to have significant implications for travel and work in Europe. “The shock of the recent Brexit vote may finally be wearing off, but the true economic and political impact of Brexit on United Kingdom’s economy is still largely unknown,” a GBTA report said. Skift asked several executives in the corporate travel sphere — travel management companies, tec