Corporate journey outlook ‘mixed’ as journey managers push cheaper lodging

Dive Brief:

• While company journey continues to rise, its outlook is now “marked by more nuance and caution,” based on the 2025 Deloitte Corporate Travel Study, launched final week.
• Although three in 4 journey managers who responded to Deloitte’s survey report increasing budgets in 2025 — an identical ratio as in 2024 — the share of managers anticipating future funds cuts rose from 6% final 12 months to 10% this 12 months.
• Rising prices, specifically, are inflicting headwinds. To handle their spending, extra corporations are focusing on resort charges, with some 50% of journey managers surveyed by Deloitte saying they’re encouraging company vacationers to decide on cheaper lodging choices.

Dive Insight:

Some 54% of journey managers surveyed by Deloitte stated price is among the many prime three components limiting journey, up from 48% in 2024. To handle this, extra corporations are focusing on lodging prices (50%) than airfares (37%) or per diems (23%), Deloitte discovered. 

The share of corporations that stated lodging prices had been the first goal of their cost-cutting measures additionally rose 12 months on 12 months, from 38% in 2024. 

While most corporations are persevering with to extend their journey spending, pullbacks — particularly amongst bigger corporations — have gotten extra widespread, per the examine. Large organizations, specifically, are seeing funds stress, sustainability targets and “uncertainty about business needs” reshaping demand, the examine famous. 

Deloitte performed its Corporate Travel Study by way of July surveys of U.S.-based journey managers, workforce leaders who allocate journey budgets and company vacationers themselves.

The complexity discovered on this 12 months’s survey outcomes marks a shift from the previous two years, when company journey was displaying indicators of post-pandemic normalization, Deloitte famous. 

High costs impacted companies’ journey plans final 12 months, too, with Deloitte’s 2024 Corporate Travel Study noting that pricing’s impression on journey quantity was 1.5 times more significant than budget cuts. 

Meanwhile, world resort charges will proceed to see average progress in 2026, per an American Express Global Business Travel report revealed final month. 

In July, the Global Business Travel Association projected that commerce tensions and coverage uncertainty will negatively impression enterprise journey spending this 12 months.