The forecast highlights how rising transportation and travel costs are increasingly driving higher industry prices, ahead of the number of trips.
This is according to the 2026 GBTA Business Travel Index (“BTI”) Annual Global Report and Forecast released this week which projects global business travel spending to increase 7.2% in 2026. The report’s first-ever analysis of worldwide business travel volume projects approximately 1.84 billion trips for work will be taken in 2026. This is up from an estimated 1.82 billion trips in 2025 – an increase of 1.3%.
The report also reveals that global business travel spending grew 8.4% in 2025 to $1.59 trillion, outperforming the forecast of 6.6% growth, supported by stronger-than-expected economic activity, easing trade tensions in the second half of the year and over-arching currency exchange effects. Global spending is projected to surpass $2 trillion by 2030, one year later than forecast last year due to moderating growth rates after 2026, yet still supported by sustained business investment and international commercial activity.
Unveiled by the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) during its 2026 Convention in Chicago, the 18th edition of the BTI (made possible again this year by Visa) represents the industry’s most comprehensive outlook on business travel. The report covers 72 countries and 44 industries and includes survey insights from more than 4,700 business travellers across 66 global markets.
‘The big story this year is that companies haven’t stepped away from travel, but they are increasingly more selective and productivity-focused,’ says Suzanne Neufang, CEO of GBTA. ‘While business travel spending continues to grow, the number of trips is rising more slowly, making it necessary for all of us to assess industry and organisational impact.’
