How Business Travelers Can Combat Overbooked Flights And Hotels Amidst Tourist Boom

Business travel, a key element of corporate strategy, is encountering significant challenges. This summer's tourism surge has added to the difficulties. Major tourist events are drawing millions of visitors, causing overbooked flights, hotels, and transportation. This results in costly delays and lost productivity for business travellers and managers.

João Carvalho, SAP Concur Managing Director in Southern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, highlights the importance of addressing these disruptions. He notes that travel is crucial for networking, collaboration, and employee development. "Travel disruption stalls productivity and hinders vital meetings, impacting business productivity and employee wellbeing," he states.

Carvalho refers to new data from SAP Concur showing that nearly half of travellers in the Middle East and North Africa have had to cancel or reschedule meetings. Additionally, 40% have faced unplanned extra days on business trips. "Unexpected delays, cancellations, and rerouting have forced 88% of business travellers to make last-minute changes in the past year," he adds.

This situation has become so frustrating that almost a third of travellers are now willing to decline trips due to the high likelihood of disruption. To mitigate these issues, Carvalho suggests leaders should prioritise flexibility in travel plans. This could involve granting additional buffer time for arrivals and departures or arranging private connecting transportation.

Carvalho also points out that Artificial Intelligence (AI) can enhance business travel efficiency. He mentions that many travel managers experience administrative disconnects with their current tools. For instance, over a third report they are expected to support traveller duty of care without visibility into all travel activities.

To address these challenges, two-thirds of managers would welcome AI-enabled components in their tools. Similarly, 98% of travellers are open to using AI options for booking travel. "Business leaders can leverage AI solutions to streamline workflows such as expense reporting or generate cancellation and rebooking recommendations," says Carvalho.

However, he advises caution with AI implementation. Premature adoption can hinder progress rather than accelerate it. "Our data indicates that 95% of business travellers require company support to feel comfortable using AI for booking," Carvalho explains.

For successful AI integration, Carvalho recommends comprehensive training for employees on AI systems. Leaders should also integrate assurances into company policies to address common concerns like data protection and bias risks.

Looking ahead, Carvalho emphasises that the modern business landscape features a geographically dispersed yet well-connected workforce. While virtual meetings are more common now, face-to-face interactions remain invaluable for certain business relationships.

"Eliminating travel disruptions may not be possible in the short term," Carvalho concludes. "But leaders can take steps to make them more manageable for their employees." By enhancing travel flexibility, providing training opportunities, and leveraging next-generation software solutions, businesses can adapt to a challenging market and ensure their travel programmes remain effective long-term.