Business travellers are increasingly more inclined to take to the road to conduct business, according to a new U.S. survey issued by Yesawich, Pepperdine & Brown.

As business travel gets back to normal, companies continue the call to trim travel costs.
Business travel is still big. The YP&B national poll reports that fully 81% of business travellers said their travel plans would not be influenced by the events of 11th September, up from 67% in a similar survey completed by the firm on the 12th of September. The poll was taken with 800 qualified travelers during the week of 8th October.

Only 12% of business travelers actually cancelled a business trip since the 11th of September according to the survey. Among those who have scrapped business trips, the types of trips most frequently cancelled were an individual business trip (66%) or a trip to attend a corporate business meeting or convention (49%).

One month after the terrorist attacks, only one of four business travellers said they would cancel a future business trip, compared to nearly 40% on 12th September. Business travelers also indicated less apprehension about traveling to specific destinations than they did a month earlier, including trips to both New York and Washington. Among business travelers who stated they were going to alter their travel plans, there is still considerable hesitation about traveling abroad. Nearly six out of the ten said they were planning to take fewer international trips in the months ahead. According to the survey, safety was the overriding concern among business travelers who acknowledged a change in their travel plans, although there was also some indication that the economy was playing a role in the travel slump.

The reasons cited most frequently for canceling a business trip included:


? A belief that it is not safe to fly (28%)

? Company restrictions imposed on travel because of concerns about safety (21%)

? A belief that it is not safe to travel (18%)

Only 12% of business travelers said they planned to travel less because their company had placed restrictions on travel as a result of concerns about the economy.

Business travellers also indicated they are less receptive to discounts and promotional offers from airlines and hotel companies than their leisure counterparts. Only a quarter of business travellers said they would be motivated to travel again by a hotel discount, while just 30% said an airline discount would encourage them to once again take to the skies.

Yesawich, Pepperdine & Brown (YP&B) is America`s leading marketing services firm specializing in serving the travel industry.
For a copy of the October business travel survey results (including PowerPoint visualization of the results), visit the Yesawich, Pepperdine & Brown website:

 

www.ypb.com

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