Business Travel News

Global conditions remain solid for global business travel next year. Hotels are cheap, and airfares are slated for a minor increase. Increased air travel options in China are making it easier for business travelers in North America to visit Asia's strongest economic power.

It's no surprise that business travelers hate waiting in security lines more than any other aspect of the travel experience. But the importance of booking choice to millennials and booking flexibility for Gen Xers shows how consumer booking tools have shifted how workers think about business travel.

These are the tourism trends we were talking about this week.

It's a subtle change, but a change nonetheless. Virgin Holidays' growth plans cannot be met by going after the same old customers, it needs to broaden its appeal and try and convince holidaymakers who regularly fly to the Mediterranean to try something different.

The future of conferences and live events places a priority on bringing together thought leaders and influencers from more diverse segments, because creative audiences today want a mashup of tech, arts, and educational experiences.

We think there's plenty of opportunity for hotels to get more creative with the services they offer on their mobile apps, but they should also prioritize the basics: free, fast Wi-Fi and convenient, plentiful power outlets.

Brands from Hilton Worldwide to Google are injecting more value into their events at every touch point, ranging from experiential culinary design to advanced event tech and content distribution.

A lot of hotel groups are providing healthy food options for their meeting groups, but attendees are still dozing off in the afternoon. So Hilton is pairing its meals with fitness and team-building experiences to try and inject greater energy and focus into meeting sessions. More research needs to be done on this.

Travel agents have come a long way since the early days of travel. Despite the rise of online travel websites and do-it-yourself planning, savvy travel agents are doing better than ever with the help of their networks.

These are the tourism trends we were talking about this week.