Survey: How travel managers are shaping the next era of business travel

As business travel evolves, the role of the travel manager evolves alongside it. This year’s SAP Concur Global Business Travel Survey underscored the complexities of managing corporate travel programmes in 2025, from shifting business priorities to the adoption of new technologies at an extraordinary pace.  

Below are the key findings from our survey of 700 travel managers across seven markets, conducted April 30-May 12, 2025. 

Travel budgets rise—but not always in step with business priorities 

Nearly four out of five travel managers globally (78%) expected their company’s travel budget to increase in 2025; only 7% expected a decrease. Interestingly, a whopping 92% of travel managers in Canada expected a budget increase this year. 

Meanwhile, 69% of travel managers agreed with the statement that their company’s travel budget doesn’t reflect how important business travel is to its success. More travel managers agreed with this statement in Australia and New Zealand (79%), the U.S. (76%), and Canada (75%), while fewer agreed in Germany (55%) and Italy (61%). 

Additionally, two-thirds of travel managers (67%) agreed with the statement that company leaders undervalue their role, and nearly 100% of CFOs surveyed said that travel managers at their company could improve in some way to better support the company’s success. Yet, as organisations increasingly rely on these professionals to guide important travel, spend, and policy decisions, leadership expectations continue to rise—creating conditions that could drive dissatisfaction and disengagement. 

Who drives changes to travel programmes? Depends on who you ask 

Although 43% of travel managers globally said they have the most influence on changes to their company’s travel programme, 41% said the CFO does. Only 16% of the group named business travellers as the top influencer of corporate travel programme changes. 

There were some differences based on geography though. Travel managers appeared to feel a bit more empowered in Australia and New Zealand (49%) and Italy (49%). In Germany, most travel managers (61%) said that the CFO has the most influence on these changes, while business travellers may have a little more influence in Canada (27%), the UK (23%), and Italy (21%), according to responses from local travel managers. 

Also, when cuts are made to their company’s travel budget, more than half of travel managers (59%) said that they typically show up as small changes to all trips, such as requiring business travellers to choose the lowest fares, cuts to checked bags, or cuts to room and flight upgrades. Two in five (41%) said they typically show up as larger, policy-level changes, like modifications to the types of trips that are allowed. 

Cybersecurity is increasing in priority for travel programmes 

Almost all travel managers globally (99%) said that their company has updated, is in the process of updating, or is considering updating its travel policies or training initiatives to help employees protect their personal and professional information from hacking or cyber threats while traveling abroad. This includes 83% who said that their company has already made updates or is in the process of doing so. 

As the adoption of AI-powered solutions continues, nearly all travel managers (99%) said they would be comfortable with business travellers using this technology to support travel booking, rebooking, or completing an expense report. 

Three-quarters of travel managers (75%) would like to see AI-enabled components incorporated into some of the tools they use to book travel. Nearly one-quarter (24%) said their role requires a human touch throughout all tasks that AI cannot replicate, and a very small minority—1%—don’t want to see AI used in their role at all for fear it could replace them. 

The growing challenge of AI-generated expense fraud 

One in ten travel managers globally (10%) said that they know employees at their company are using AI to attempt to falsify travel expenses or receipts. Seventy-eight percent said that it’s at least somewhat likely that this is happening.  

However, perspectives vary by market: Nearly one in five travel managers in Australia and New Zealand (17%) said they know that this is happening at their company—an interesting contrast to just 3% of travel managers in the UK who were certain of it.  

As business travel continues to evolve, so will the insights we uncover. Stay tuned for next year’s SAP Concur Global Business Travel Survey, where we’ll continue tracking the trends shaping travel programmes worldwide. 

The SAP Concur Global Travel Manager Survey was conducted by Wakefield Research between April 30 and May 12, 2025, among 700 travel managers, defined as those who direct or administer travel programmes for businesses, across seven markets: Germany, Italy, Canada, Japan, ANZ (Australia, New Zealand), UK, and U.S. 

The SAP Concur Global CFO Survey was conducted by Wakefield Research between April 30 and May 12, 2025, among 600 CFOs across six markets: Germany, Canada, Japan, ANZ (Australia, New Zealand), UK, and U.S.