GBTA Reveals Millennials Want To Travel More For Business

Millennials are quicker to embrace business travel than their older counterparts, according to a new report from the Global Business Travel Association.

Findings from the latest GBTA Business Travel Sentiment Index show millennials are nearly twice as likely to want to travel more for business than baby boomers (45 percent to 26 percent, respectively), and the majority of millennials (57 percent) believe technology can never replace face-to-face meetings when it comes to getting business done.

Other key findings reveal millennials are far more likely to rely upon social media to meet up with friends while traveling than baby boomers, with 46 percent of millennials making use of social media platforms compared to 17 percent of baby boomers. When it comes to business expenses, millennials are far less likely to want to use their personal credit cards (53 percent to 69 percent). For travel amenities, baby boomers prefer to pay no fee to check bags while millennials want free WiFi.

“Millennials are the newest generation of road warriors and, like their more experienced peers, they understand that face-to-face meetings remain key to getting business done,” said Michael, W. McCormick, executive director and COO, GBTA. “Over the last quarter, business travelers across the board — Millennials, Gen Xers and Baby Boomers — reported that their goals were met on business trips, leading to greater satisfaction.”

“Millennials in particular are interested in business travel and see the value it brings to their companies and their careers,” said Susan Chapman-Hughes, senior vice president, American Express Global Corporate Payments. “This generation may see more upsides to business travel because they’ve found new ways to stay connected to their personal and professional commitments while on the road.”