Sustainability continues to climb the agenda for travel buyers around the world. Today, we welcome a new contribution to the topic with the launch of a report from WBR Insights as it examines how procurement organizations are prioritizing sustainable business travel as part of sustainability and environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) policies.
The work -Sustainable Business Travel in 2022 & Beyond - draws on contributions from 100 top business travel leaders from across North America to provide important benchmarking data and information about the current state of sustainability in our sector.
As travelrecovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, corporations are refocusing on their green agendas. According to the WBR Insights report, 85 per cent of respondents believe sustainability will be either a ‘moderate’ or ‘high’ priority in the next 12-months. Nearly a third also state they have become more focused on the sustainability objectives of their corporate travel program during the past two years. These are encouraging signs for a more sustainable travel sector.
Sustainable travel must be top priority for procurement professionals
However, while more organizations are starting to make more sustainable purchasing decisions, travel may not always have been prioritized. This could be because other sustainability initiatives are taking precedence, or due to a lack of motivation and accountability. For example, most respondents say either travel management leaders (42%) or sustainability leaders (31%) are accountable for or make key decisions about sustainability for travel programs. Moreover, 14% of the respondents say the responsibility is shared among multiple people. This can be problematic, as there may be no clear vision for the future of sustainable travel procurement.
Other potential hurdles highlighted by the research include a lack of traveler buy-in (for 46% of respondents) or competing business priorities (for 46%), alongside a limited ability to measure the sustainability of their travel programs. At present, 57% of interviewees rate their ability to measure the sustainability of their travel programs as only ‘somewhat effective,’ while 28% rate it as ‘not very effective’.
Key role for technology in addressing sustainability challenges
Technology has a key role to play in overcoming these challenges. Of the contributors to the report, most believe technology will be either somewhat effective (60%) or very effective (18%) in helping them to meet their sustainability objectives for their travel programs. Among only this group, half claim display logos indicating “green” hotels would help them achieve those goals, while more than a third say managing traveler rewards for making sustainable choices and providing tailored messages to travelers would also help. Digitizing more of the travel program (for example, by reducing paper waste or receipts) is a top priority for 46% of respondents (and a significant priority for 30%), while promoting car sharing or carpooling among travelers is a top priority for 40% and a significant priority for a further 27%.
When speaking to researchers, buyers explained “travel teams need to identify locations and travel partners who hold current or future solutions in sustainability,” while adding “technology has come a long way and can make a difference in promoting sustainability.” There is both an understanding of the significance of the issue and a drive to tackle it.
Amadeus is listening to these insights and remains committed to working with our customers and partners to create a more responsible and sustainable travel and tourism industry. Companies are making significant changes to their core operations and processes to become more sustainable. Travel procurement plays a key role in sustainability strategies, and Amadeus is constantly working on improving the tools to help on the journey ahead.
With Cytric by Amadeus, our travel and expense management solution, we help corporations manage travel and expenses in a way that helps them expand their business while at the same time minimizing their carbon footprint in several ways. This means everything from practical steps, such as paperless travel expense claims, to multimodality, nudging users into the most carbon-efficient form of transport. Rail, for example, is emerging as a more sustainable travel option for domestic travelers, and Cytric by Amadeus offers a wide array of global rail content. By measuring the total carbon footprint of a trip, empowering buyers to take the most sustainable option, and informing travelers of the impact of their decisions, we keep working to give corporations the tools they need to make a difference.
Together with WBR Insights, we hope this piece of research will inspire others to improve the way they manage sustainability in their organizations so that we can all make a greater impact and contribute to a greener world.
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