Tag: Bonnie Smith

With 2024 approaching, many businesses will be reviewing and adjusting their travel budgets in light of spending predictions for the coming year. In terms of benchmarks, the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) puts the average global spend at around $829 per business trip (R14,922).

Did you know hotels account for approximately one percent of global carbon dioxide emissions? It might not seem like a lot, but to put it in perspective, out of the carbon dioxide released annually, it's equivalent to powering 45.7 million homes for a year. Turns out those luxury touches like themed suites, room service on tap, and butlers come at a cost to the planet, too.

Your boss may not necessarily be keen on understanding every line item on your travel expense report, but they certainly need to understand the overall value that your business travel brings to the table. Having to justify the ‘value’ of business travel is a challenge that resonates deeply with travel managers around the globe today.

Good bosses matter - now more than ever. The travel industry had to really hustle and adapt over the past couple of years, way more than any other sector. Those leading in travel, like I had to step up and guide teams through this crazy time.

Fasten your seat belts as the 'work from anywhere' era steps on the gas. In the fast lane of this new age, hush holidays are cruising in, a silent phenomenon stirring duty of care considerations into a tricky maze that has organisations reaching for their strategy maps.

For the first time in history, there are five generations in the workplace. From Generation Z (Gen Z) to the silent generation, the diversity of life stages is the most complicated it's been in history. In the same way that corporate culture and policies are evolving to stamp out issues like the “wage gap”, organisations need to address the issues created by the “age gap”.

The worldwide travel market has expanded considerably from just over 400,000 travellers in 1973 to 5.56 billion in 2019. Fighting for market share in this booming industry are two global commercial aircraft manufacturers: Boeing and Airbus.

The pursuit of sleep is big business. In fact, Statista predicts that the global sleep industry will be worth 585 billion US dollars by 2024. We’re talking mattresses, luxury bedding, pillows (the pillow market alone was valued at about 15.6 billion US dollars worldwide back in 2019), block-out blinds, soundproofing, supplements and apps.

Business travel is back with a bang – at least in South Africa – with business travel numbers exceeding 2019 levels. This according to a recent whitepaper, SME Travel Trends for 2023, that indicates that demand has returned a lot quicker and more aggressively than initially anticipated.

While corporate travel is starting to recover, the pandemic continues to impact the industry, and industry players can see a change in booking behaviour. For example, the shift to last-minute bookings, necessitated by the uncertainty of the past two years, hasn't subsided as quickly as expected.