Top Travel Trends of 2019
The new year has begun, and corporate travel is already ramping up in the first quarter. This industry is incredibly fast-paced and always changing; it’s important to keep an eye on the things that will influence how your travelers book travel, how spend is managed, and which technologies are disrupting the market. Here are the biggest the trends to watch in 2019:
AI: By far one of the biggest trends, both in travel and in the technology sphere in general, Artificial Intelligence is changing a lot about the way travel is booked and managed. For example, arriving at the airport, only to learn the flight has been delayed? So much of business travel revolves around arrival and can be the difference between a closed deal and a missed opportunity. AI integrated into a travel management application, such as Adelman’s proprietary mobile app, Ava, means travelers get the information they need to make better travel decisions such as predictive data on flight disruptions and cancellations.
Sharing Economy: The sharing giants like Uber and Airbnb are not going anywhere any time soon. The sharing economy is estimated to grow from $14 billion in 2014 to $335 billion by 2025. Travel managers are now faced with how to manage a new generation of travelers that have grown up regularly using these services. These travelers are very comfortable calling for an Uber on a night out, so why not Uber from the airport instead of using a rental car? A good travel management partner can assist you in outlining a travel policy that takes these vendors and services into account, even leveraging solutions that can benefit the company, such as Uber for Business. Adelman has also gone one step further to remove traveler friction by integrating Uber Eats into our proprietary mobile app, Ava, allowing travelers to order meals right from the same application that they just used to manage trip information. Imagine arriving at your destination late at night and not needing to worry about what restaurants are open!
Risk Management: For most large organizations, Duty of Care has been an integral part of the travel program for years. Recently, however, it has become a much bigger part of the travel conversation for mid-size and smaller companies. The increasing pressure for companies to consolidate globally has also put risk management at the center of travel policy decisions. Joining with the right partners in 2019 will make a real difference in your travelers’ experience and safety. Adelman doesn’t just focus on the macro level of risk management but also at the micro level. Our partnership through GeoSure allows us to integrate safety ratings into our proprietary mobile app, Ava. Categories include safety for women, LGBTQ, avoiding physical harm and much more, drilled down to the neighborhood level. This will arm your travelers with critical security knowledge after booking a hotel.
Self-Booking: While self-booking has been on our radar for quite some time, there weren’t many good options for handling it. Travel managers were faced with the arduous task of trying to reconcile these trips after the fact and could never recoup the lost opportunities in vendor negotiations. With mobile booking becoming easier and more available, travelers can enjoy more freedom in booking travel while spend is still captured. A good TMC can also provide you with the right resources and education to encourage your travelers in better booking habits.
For any additional information on these trends or travel services, please contact Adelman Travel at 414-410-8300 or your local Client Success Manager.