Business travel recovery: Trends shaping the future of travel

Introduction

After years of uncertainty and disruption, business travel is not only back—it’s being reimagined. As companies adapt to new ways of working and managing teams across borders, travel is becoming more purposeful, strategic, and tech-enabled. This article is for finance leaders, travel managers, and operations teams navigating the new landscape of corporate travel. If you’re asking “when will business travel resume at full scale?” or wondering how to manage evolving expectations, this guide breaks down the key trends and tools driving business travel recovery in 2025 and beyond.

Main takeaways from this article:

• Business travel is rebounding fast, with 2024 marking a major upswing in spending and volume—yet the return is uneven across regions and sectors.
• Hybrid and remote work have shifted the travel mindset, reducing routine trips while increasing demand for high-value, in-person interactions.
• Trends like MICE travel, bleisure, and sustainability are reshaping how and why employees travel, influencing new policy decisions.
• Gen Z professionals and rising costs are pressuring companies to modernize travel tools and expectations with flexibility and efficiency.
• Mesh Payments provides the infrastructure to succeed, with real-time spend visibility, policy automation, and global-ready controls for smarter travel management.

What happened to global business travel during the pandemic?

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic triggered an unprecedented collapse in global business travel. Corporate travel budgets were slashed overnight, with mass cancellations of flights, conferences, and in-person meetings. Cross-border movement came to a near standstill, disrupting international collaboration and client engagement. According to GBTA’s 2024 Reflection, global business travel spending plummeted by 54% in 2020, underscoring the sheer magnitude of the downturn. This forced companies to reevaluate the necessity of travel, leaning heavily into digital alternatives and redefining when will business travel resume—ultimately reshaping the path toward business travel recovery.

Is business travel really recovering?

Yes—2024 marked a pivotal rebound in global business travel after years of stalled momentum. According to GBTA’s 2024 Reflection, global business travel spending reached $1.48 trillion, signaling a robust return and renewed confidence in corporate mobility. This surge reflects a significant phase in business travel recovery, as companies resumed in-person meetings, industry events, and international engagements. However, the rebound hasn’t been universal; recovery varies by region and industry, with sectors like tech and finance rebounding faster than others still navigating when business travel will resume at full scale.

Key trends shaping business travel recovery

As we look ahead, several key trends are redefining how organizations plan, prioritize, and invest in business travel. These shifts will be instrumental in shaping business travel recovery in 2025 and beyond, especially as companies evaluate when will business travel resume at scale and with purpose.

Hybrid and remote work reshaped corporate travel expectations

The rise of hybrid and remote work has dramatically shifted the landscape of corporate travel. While the frequency of routine, day-to-day trips has declined, there’s been a notable uptick in strategic, high-impact travel for offsites, client meetings, and team-building events. Employees who rarely see their colleagues in person now rely on travel to foster collaboration, strengthen culture, and align across distributed teams. In response, companies are rethinking their travel policies and budgets—placing greater emphasis on the purpose of travel rather than sheer volume. Despite these changes, total business trip volume is projected to rival 2019’s record highs by 2025, according to the JTB Business Travel 2025 Outlook, signaling a key driver in business travel recovery and answering the question of when will business travel resume in full.

The comeback of MICE travel is reshaping the event economy

Following a steep decline during the pandemic, MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) travel is experiencing a strong resurgence. Companies are once again investing in conferences, leadership off-sites, and incentive programs as essential components of employee engagement and brand presence. While many of these gatherings have adopted hybrid formats or regionalized footprints, they remain vital for networking, training, and visibility. This resurgence is a key signal of business travel recovery and plays a major role in answering when will business travel resume at scale across industries.

The rise of blended travel (business + leisure)

Blended travel—often called “bleisure”—refers to the growing trend of employees extending business trips to include personal leisure time. According to the GBTA 2024 Reflection, this approach is becoming increasingly popular as travelers seek more flexible, fulfilling travel experiences. In response, companies are revisiting their travel policies to support this shift, acknowledging the role of bleisure in improving employee satisfaction, work-life balance, and retention. As this trend gains momentum, it further contributes to the evolving landscape of business travel recovery and redefines the conversation around when will business travel resume in its most modern form.

Embracing sustainable practices in the business travel industry

Sustainability has become a central priority in the business travel industry, fueled by growing environmental concerns and evolving regulatory requirements. Companies are adopting measures such as carbon tracking, emission budgets, and eco-conscious travel policies to align with broader ESG goals. This includes prioritizing greener travel options—like rail over air, direct flights, and sustainable accommodations—as part of redesigned corporate travel programs. As businesses strive to balance the value of in-person engagement with the imperative to reduce their carbon footprint, sustainability is emerging as a critical pillar of business travel recovery and shaping decisions about when will business travel resume at full capacity.

Gen Z and younger travelers are reshaping travel expectations

As Gen Z professionals become a larger part of the global workforce, they’re bringing new expectations that are reshaping corporate travel programs. This generation values purpose-driven travel, favoring trips that offer clear outcomes and personal or professional development. They also expect mobile-first tools, greater flexibility, personalization, and a strong emphasis on sustainability. These evolving preferences are pushing companies to modernize their approach, playing a key role in the next phase of business travel recovery and redefining when will business travel resume in a way that resonates with future generations.

Artificial intelligence transforming travel management

Artificial intelligence is playing a transformative role in how companies manage business travel, automating everything from booking to expense reporting. AI-powered tools streamline itinerary planning, provide real-time updates, and personalize the traveler experience based on preferences and patterns. These technologies also help businesses monitor and manage travel spend more effectively, offering data-driven insights for smarter decision-making. As AI continues to evolve, it is accelerating business travel recovery and influencing how and when business travel will resume at scale—with greater efficiency and precision.

Tighter budgets and rising costs mean more scrutiny

Although business travel recovery is well underway, the cost of travel is climbing—airfare, hotels, and related services are more expensive than ever. This inflationary pressure is prompting finance leaders to scrutinize every trip, ensuring that each journey aligns with business goals and delivers measurable value. Companies are increasingly expected to track spend in real time and maintain tighter controls over their travel programs. Mesh Payments empowers businesses to meet these demands with real-time spend visibility, automated policy enforcement, and flexible controls that help prevent overspending before it occurs. In this climate, answering when will business travel resume at scale depends just as much on financial oversight as it does on traveler demand.

Will corporate travel surpass pre-pandemic levels in 2025?

There’s growing optimism that 2025 will be a milestone year for business travel recovery. According to the GBTA 2025 Outlook, over 75% of travel buyers expect business travel volumes to increase this year, and forecasts global spending will reach $2 trillion by 2028. While some regions and sectors may surpass pre-pandemic benchmarks, others are still finding their footing—but the industry’s focus has clearly shifted from sheer volume to purposeful, high-impact travel. Achieving sustained growth will depend less on bigger budgets and more on building flexible, efficient, and modernized travel programs. This is where tools like Mesh Payments come in, empowering finance and travel teams to create global-ready strategies that maximize both value and control.

How Mesh Payments transforms business travel spending

Mesh Payments empowers companies to modernize business travel management with tools that provide greater visibility, control, and agility. Here’s how Mesh supports the next era of business travel recovery:

• Real-time visibility into travel spend: Track every transaction as it happens, giving finance teams immediate insight into budgets and compliance.
• Flexible policy enforcement for modern travel programs: Automatically apply dynamic travel policies that align with evolving business needs and hybrid work models.
• Global-ready controls and multi-currency support: Manage international travel seamlessly with built-in currency conversion and location-specific spend controls.
• Automated workflows that save time and reduce manual work: Streamline approvals, reconciliation, and reporting with intelligent automation across the entire travel spend lifecycle.

Build a travel program that’s ready for what’s next with Mesh Payments

The future of business travel is being shaped by powerful forces—hybrid work models, rising travel costs, sustainability imperatives, and shifting employee expectations. To thrive in this new era, companies must evolve their travel programs to focus on purpose, flexibility, and efficiency. Mesh Payments equips businesses with the tools they need to stay ahead, offering real-time visibility, automated policy enforcement, and global-ready expense controls that bring clarity and confidence to every trip.

Ready to modernize your travel program for 2025 and beyond?

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