Research by American Express has found 85% of UK businesses are looking to maintain or increase their business travel spend over the next year.
Although it could not provide a like-for-like comparison, Amex said its 2022 research showed 42% of UK businesses were planning more travel for employees.
It said the results indicate organisations continue to see the value in business trips, including strengthening relationships with clients (40%) or helping them develop a better understanding of local markets (28%).
The research also showed that Gen Z employees (those aged 18-24 years) view business travel as a way of boosting their careers and are seeking out more opportunities to take trips.
It found 59% of the youngest generation in the workforce say they will be travelling more for work in the next 12 months, compared with 56% for those aged 25-34, 55% for 35-44, 34% for 45-54 and 39% for 55-64 year olds.
Gen Z believe the opportunities have an impact on their careers by increasing their attractiveness to prospective employers (81%) and enhancing opportunities for promotion at their current firm (83%).
Out of all generations surveyed, Gen Z are also the most likely to strongly agree that they combine business and leisure into a single trip to maximise their productivity and, and as a result, to take fewer flights (44%).
They are also the most likely generation to strongly agree that they can effectively prioritise their workload during business trips (54%).
Almost three-quarters (74%) of Gen Z employees also say they typically work longer hours when on business trips, more so than any other generation. They estimate working an 4.6 extra hours on average per working day compared to a normal day in the office, according to the research.
At the same time, younger generations are more likely to consider sustainability in their business travel trips compared to other age groups; almost half (48%) of Gen Z say they are actively working with their employer on this.
Steps taken include greater use of public transport (67%), choosing to stay at accommodation with environmental credentials (43%), or staying at destinations for longer to accommodate more meetings (52%).
Lee Sullivan, Vice President at American Express, said: “Our research reveals businesses continue to see the value in travel as a way of driving growth and boosting employee engagement, and plan to invest more in this area.
“It’s also interesting that younger employees see travel as critical for their career development. Gen Z are leading the way in reshaping how businesses approach travel, with a renewed focus on maximising the entire experience.”
The figures are based on fieldwork conducted by Retail Economics in June 2024 on behalf of American Express, amongst 500 business travellers and 500 senior business travel decision makers from SMEs with 1-249 employees and large businesses with over 250 employees in the UK.
