Canadian business travel market to grow in 2015: Vision

Canadian business travel is expected to rise by eight per cent in 2015, according to Vision Travel Solutions.

Brian Robertson, COO of Vision Travel Solutions, said that with the company’s corporate travel business up 10 per cent in 2014, the projection for the overall Canadian market appears to be on track.

According to the Global Business Travel Association, global business travel spending will hit a record high of $1.31 trillion in 2014, a 6.9 per cent growth over 2013.

An Ipsos Reid survey of Canadian business travellers conducted for Vision Travel also found that 29 per cent of business travellers spend their air travel time working.  The work time average rises to 47.5 per cent for three of four who fly business class, said Vision. In 2014 alone, Air Canada, Lufthansa, Air France, Emirates, and Etihad, among others, have announced major improvements in their business class products, said Robertson.

The majority of travellers in business class (87 per cent) say mobile devices enable them to remain productive while travelling. Laptops (73 per cent) remain the device of choice, closely followed by smartphones (73 per cent). Only four in 10 (40 cent) bring their tablets.Six out of 10 business class travellers say it matters what class they fly in, and as expected an overwhelming majority (90 per cent) prefer to travel business or first class. In reality however, Canadian business travellers mostly fly economy, 80 per cent on average, as most of their business travel is often within Canada. Travellers placed great importance to flying business class for international trips (75 per cent), but when asked about a suitable alternative, respondents say flying economy is suitable for U.S. and domestic flights.

Vision also found that almost 70 per cent of business travellers say their companies work with travel partners to help cut costs and 50 per cent book their travel with a corporate travel management company.