Business travel spend to hit USD 1.57tr in 2025

Dhaka: Global spending on business travel is expected to reach a record USD 1.57 trillion in 2025 and USD 1.69 trillion in 2026, according to the Global Business Travel Association’s newly published Business Travel Index Outlook.

However, the organization has downgraded its growth expectations amid ongoing geopolitical uncertainty.

In the latest edition of its annual report, GBTA projects “moderate” year-on-year growth in business travel spend of 6.6 percent in 2025 “due to trade tensions, policy uncertainty, and economic pressures”, rising to anticipated growth of 8.1 percent in 2026. A year ago, the organization had predicted 10.4 percent growth this year and 9.2 percent in 2026.

Global business travel spend in 2024 was also adjusted in this latest forecast, coming in at USD 1.47 trillion, slightly below the USD 1.48 trillion predicted a year ago.

Despite nominal spending reaching a record high in 2025, business travel volumes likely remain below pre-pandemic levels, noted GBTA in its report, with inflation-adjusted spending some 14 per cent below pre-pandemic levels and “underscoring a slower recovery in travel volume”.

The world’s two biggest spenders on business travel—the US and China—are expected to trade places in 2025, with the former reclaiming its position at the top, with 10 percent growth taking spend to USD 395.4 billion, compared to 2 percent growth in China and USD 373.1 billion in spend.

Of the top 15 markets globally, India, the UK, South Korea, and Canada are all expected to see double-digit increases in business travel spend this year.