“We assume that the Corona pandemic will change the number and structure of business travel. The overwhelming majority of business travel experts at our member companies anticipate a decline in travel of between 10 and a maximum of 30 percent.” Christoph Carnier, President of the VDR
The president of the German business travel association VDR thus rejects previous forecasts in the media about a 60 percent drop in business travel or similar. Christoph Carnier is convinced that business travel will remain an important part of the business activities of German companies even after Corona: “Business travel serves a corporate purpose and is an economic necessity. Many employees also have a growing desire to meet business partners in person again. Almost all companies therefore allow national and international business trips again, at least in justified exceptional cases. We are currently observing that the trend is upwards.”
The VDR President and Head of Travel, Fleet & Events of the Merck Group does not see an “end of an era” with an expected decrease in business travel of 10 to 30 percent, he also explains in a VDR podcast. Virtual communication tools would not replace personal exchange between people and companies in the long term. The importance of business travel as a “necessary instrument for success” is also reflected in the figures to date: Before Corona, according to VDR, German companies spent over 53 billion euros on business trips. Added to this is “regional added value” in the form of local spending on gastronomic or cultural offerings.
In an interview with Bleisure Traveller in May 2020, Christoph Carnier had already emphasized that he expects more bundled business trips in one place and a more flexible handling of online and face-to-face meetings in view of a slightly decreasing travel frequency. Bleisure could thus become a more frequent topic during the trip rather than after or before it.
Photo: © VDR
