By: Matthew Patterson, Senior Director, Client Relationship Management
Change is a constant in every industry, but few sectors have transformed as radically as business travel has over the past five years.
Big Data, artificial intelligence (AI), and other technologies are reshaping how prices are set and how businesses operate. At the same time, travel costs have soared to new heights. It’s a lot for anyone to navigate, and travel managers, procurement teams, and finance leaders alike may feel like they have less control over their corporate travel spend than ever before.
However, even with concerns around cost and budgets, corporate travel volumes are on the rise. BCD’s most recent travel buyer survey revealed that 42% of buyers reported increased travel spend in 2025, with business expansion and organizational changes cited as the top two drivers. As corporate travel rebounds, those responsible for managing business travel costs must re-evaluate their approach to spend management to stay ahead.
Two game-changing shifts in travel spend management that can help you drive savings
1. Shifting from static sourcing to dynamic performance management
For years, corporate travel managers, procurement, and finance teams relied on a tried-and-true approach to driving travel program cost-savings: annual contract negotiations. Historically, if your business could guarantee a threshold of volume with a given supplier, the supplier could promise a set price in return. For better or for worse, this approach is no longer the straightforward solution it once was. As travel patterns shift and operational costs climb, suppliers cannot always guarantee the same savings they once could.
To uncover new savings opportunities, travel programs must go beyond annual sourcing engagements. You need to expect and prepare for a dynamic approach, and be ready to flex your program accordingly. Dynamically monitoring your program throughout the year can help you keep a pulse on how competitive your rates are, track booking trends, determine opportunities to shift traveler behavior and more. There’s no reason to wait until the next souring season to make changes. You can and should ensure that your program is performing to its potential throughout the year.
2. Shifting from unmanaged leakage to proactive data intelligence
With rising costs and budget restraints a key challenge for travel programs across the globe, it’s time to revamp how you track travel spend. In the past traveler managers have accepted program leakage, or off-channel bookings as inevitable. But that could be leaving big gaps in your data. In fact, many companies are unknowingly missing around 40% of travelers’ data or more, causing a missed opportunity to gather actionable insights and savings.
As a travel manager, it’s critical that you access a full picture of your travel program to gain actionable insights. If you aren’t looking beyond agency data, you could be missing out on big savings opportunities. That’s why a data consolidation strategy isn’t just helpful — it’s essential. By combining additional data sources like credit card, expense and HR data, you can access a more comprehensive view of your travel program, enabling smarter decisions and greater control. With the right insights, you can unlock:
- Visibility into where travelers are booking out of program
- Transparency into potentially wasteful traveler behavior trends
- A clear view of where you’re spending the most, and the biggest opportunities for cost-savings
Unfortunately, those corporate travel programs still not keeping a close eye on their data are already behind the curve. The most cost-efficient corporate travel programs are using a granular look at their data to find new ways to drive savings.
Your road to business travel program cost savings starts here
Advito’s latest guide to travel program cost savings dives deep into the current state of corporate travel and actionable strategies to help you stay ahead. See how best practices are shifting to suit a new landscape of travel, what’s working and what’s not, and learn from real-life examples of companies that have already begun the journey to travel program cost-savings with fresh frameworks and proven strategies for success.
Download your guide to cost savings now.