Business Travel Spending to Hit Record $1.71 Trillion in 2026, GBTA Says — but $2 Trillion Slips to 2030

Cover image: Empty armchairs in a quiet airport business lounge awaiting corporate travellers — photo by MDRX, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Global business travel spending will reach a record $1.71 trillion in 2026, up 7.2% on the $1.59 trillion spent in 2025, according to the 18th edition of the Global Business Travel Association's Business Travel Index (BTI) Outlook, released on 3 August 2026. Trip volumes tell a very different story: GBTA expects roughly 1.84 billion business trips worldwide this year, just 1.3% more than the 1.82 billion taken in 2025.

That gap — spending growing more than five times faster than trips — is the report's central finding. GBTA says the contrast underscores "the dampening effect of higher transportation and travel costs on business travel demand": prices, not more travellers on the road, are driving the industry's top line. The association has also pushed back the year in which global spend crosses $2 trillion to 2030, one year later than its previous forecast, as its underlying global GDP growth assumption slows from about 3.3% in 2025 to 2.9% in 2026.

"The big story this year is that companies haven't stepped away from travel, but they are increasingly more selective and productivity-focused," said GBTA CEO Suzanne Neufang. The forecast, produced with Visa, models 72 countries and 44 industries and draws on a May 2026 survey of more than 4,700 business travellers across 66 markets.

How fast is business travel spending growing in 2026?

The 7.2% expansion forecast for 2026 marks a deceleration from the 8.4% growth recorded in 2025, when spending finished at $1.59 trillion. GBTA says last year's result was supported by stronger-than-expected economic activity, easing trade tensions in the second half of the year and currency-exchange effects.

The traveller survey confirms that volume, not appetite, is the flat variable: 74% of respondents said they travelled as much as or more than in previous years, and 28% expect to travel more in 2026. Trips are broadly stable — budgets are inflating.

Which countries and regions are driving corporate travel growth?

The top 15 markets account for 84% of the $1.71 trillion total, led by the United States at $423.0 billion and China at $403.7 billion — together roughly 48% of global spend. Asia and Europe post the highest volumes, each approaching 600 million trips or more.

The fastest-growing spending markets in 2026 are Brazil (+13.8%), Australia (+11.5%), South Korea (+11.3%), Türkiye (+10.9%) and Japan (+10%), while GBTA links AI and technology investment to growth in North America and Asia Pacific. The outlier is the Middle East, where GBTA projects a 12.3% decline in travel volumes in 2026 after the conflict involving Iran and the broader region disrupted aviation, trade and energy markets early in the year — the forecast assumes conditions stabilise and airline networks gradually normalise in the second half of 2026.

What will corporate airfares and hotel rates cost in 2026?

A companion study — the 2027 Global Business Travel Forecast, published by GBTA with ALTOUR on 28 July — puts hard numbers on the price pressure. It sees the global average air fare hitting $756 in 2026, up 4.7%, with economy fares up 8.7% to $536 and premium fares up 9.5% to $4,488. Global hotel average daily rates rise 3.7% to $168, led by Latin America (+9.5%) and Asia Pacific (+5.0%), against +3.2% in North America and just +0.6% in EMEA.

Those corporate rate trends land in a mixed lodging market — Hilton's Q2 2026 results and trimmed RevPAR outlook showed major chains leaning on fees and pipeline growth while room-revenue momentum cools. Relief is pencilled in for 2027, when the GBTA–ALTOUR forecast expects fares to rise only 1.5% and hotel ADR 1.8% to $171, though it cautions that prices are unlikely to return to 2025 levels.

Sources: GBTA 2026 Business Travel Index Outlook (3 Aug 2026); GBTA–ALTOUR 2027 Global Business Travel Forecast (28 Jul 2026).

Why premium cabins and managed programmes matter for the numbers

GBTA's survey found 42% of business travellers fly premium cabins — striking given premium fares are rising almost twice as fast as the blended average. That corporate appetite helps explain the premium-revenue records set in the Q2 2026 airline earnings season, and why carriers without a front cabin are building one: JetBlue's BlueFirst first-class rollout is aimed squarely at this traffic.

Distribution is consolidating around corporate channels too. 65% of surveyed travellers now book through managed programmes — travel management companies or corporate booking tools plugged into the airline distribution stack (see our explainer on how GDS ticketing and IATA settlement actually work). Rail is growing too, used by 72% of respondents in Asia Pacific and 60% in Europe.

What could derail GBTA's $1.71 trillion forecast?

GBTA is explicit about the downside risks: "renewed geopolitical tensions, trade disruptions" and a sharper-than-expected slowdown in business investment could all undercut the outlook. The Middle East assumption — stabilisation in H2 2026 after a 12.3% volume drop — is another swing factor.

Sector mix adds a structural drag. The fastest-growing verticals for 2026–2030 — mining and quarrying (6.6% CAGR), health and social work (6.3%) and education (6.3%) — represent only 1.6% of total spend, while slower-growing manufacturing (4.4% CAGR) and utilities (4.1%) account for 42%. Visa vice president Edward Galvin summed up the buyer mood: organisations need "greater visibility, control and flexibility to manage rising travel costs".

Frequently asked questions

How much will companies spend on business travel in 2026?

GBTA's 2026 Business Travel Index Outlook forecasts a record $1.71 trillion in global business travel spending, up 7.2% from $1.59 trillion in 2025. Trip volumes rise far more slowly, up 1.3% to about 1.84 billion trips, meaning most of the growth comes from higher prices.

When will global business travel spending pass $2 trillion?

GBTA now expects global spend to surpass $2 trillion in 2030 — one year later than its previous forecast. The delay reflects a slower global GDP assumption (2.9% in 2026, down from about 3.3% in 2025) plus geopolitical and trade-related risks.

Which countries spend the most on business travel?

The United States leads at $423.0 billion, followed closely by China at $403.7 billion — together about 48% of global spend, per GBTA. The fastest-growing markets in 2026 are Brazil (+13.8%), Australia (+11.5%), South Korea (+11.3%), Türkiye (+10.9%) and Japan (+10%).

Are corporate travel prices going to keep rising?

Through 2026, yes: the GBTA–ALTOUR forecast sees average airfares up 4.7% to $756, premium fares up 9.5% to $4,488 and hotel ADR up 3.7% to $168. It expects relief in 2027 — fares up just 1.5% and ADR up 1.8% to $171 — but says prices are unlikely to return to 2025 levels.

Sources

• GBTA — Global Business Travel Spending to Hit Record $1.71 Trillion in 2026, While Trips Reach 1.84 Billion, Says GBTA Forecast
• GBTA — 2026 Business Travel Index (BTI) report page
• GBTA — Fuel Shock Keeps Business Travel Prices Elevated Through 2026 With Relief Ahead in 2027