The short version
- GBTA forecasts 2026 global business travel spending up 7.2% to about $1.71 trillion, but trips up only 1.3% to 1.84 billion.
- U.S. business travel spending is projected at $423 billion, up 6.7%, the largest market in the world.
- Higher prices, not more travel, are driving the growth. Budgets need to plan for that.
Every summer, the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) releases its Business Travel Index, the industry's broadest forecast of where corporate travel spending is headed. The 2026 edition, released in August at GBTA's convention in Chicago, has one number every budget owner should notice: the gap between spending and trips.
The headline numbers
- Global business travel spending is forecast to reach a record $1.71 trillion in 2026, up 7.2%.
- The number of trips is expected to grow only 1.3%, to about 1.84 billion.
- 2025 came in stronger than expected, with spending up 8.4% to $1.59 trillion.
- U.S. domestic and outbound business travel spending is projected at $423 billion, up 6.7%. The U.S. remains the largest business travel market in the world.
- GBTA expects global spending to pass $2 trillion by 2030, a year later than it predicted last year.
Why spending and trips are moving apart
GBTA points to four forces shaping 2026: steady economic growth, strong business investment, geopolitical uncertainty and higher transportation costs. The conflict in the Middle East early in the year disrupted flight paths and energy markets, which pushed up fares and lengthened some long-haul routes. The forecast assumes airline networks gradually settle down in the second half of the year.
In plain terms: organizations aren't traveling much more. They're paying more for the travel they already do.
What to do about it
For a university department, a school district or a growing company, a few habits make a real difference when prices are rising:
- Book earlier where you can. Conferences, board meetings and team travel are often known months ahead. Booking those early is one of the few levers fully in your control.
- Stop losing unused tickets. Airline credits from canceled trips expire quietly. Tracking and reusing them is found money. See unused ticket and credit tracking.
- Consolidate your travel. When everything runs through one agency, you can finally see where the money goes, and spot patterns worth changing.
- Revisit your policy. Lodging limits and approval rules written a few years ago may not reflect today's prices. Our post on FY 2027 per diem rates is a good place to start.
If you'd like a second set of eyes on your travel spending, that's what travel program management is for. We'll look at where your money goes and tell you honestly where it could go further.
Have a question about how this affects your travelers? Ask us, or learn more about our Athens corporate travel agency.