Looking to capture more corporate business? Here’s a study that may help you sell the extraordinary benefits to corporate and local businesses by getting employees on the road.
A new report from the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) and made possible in partnership with the American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA) finds that US companies could be missing out on more than $2.4 trillion (!!) in potential new sales revenue due to underinvesting in business travel.
The report, T&E and the Bottom-Line: Quantifying the Return on Investment of U.S. Business Travel, analyzed data from 2000-2024 spanning the top 14 industries in the US. Based on this data, the report suggested that even a slight increase of $184 per year per employee (average) could help businesses capture a larger piece of that $2.4 trillion. The sectors that could see the biggest benefits include Retail and Wholesale, Financial Services, and Health & Education.
Perhaps the biggest takeaway from the report is that business travel spending has an incredibly high ROI: 14.6x or $14.60 in net operating margin for every $1 spent.
GBTA CEO Suzanne Neufang
“This research confirms that business travel is not an arbitrary cost center for organizations—it’s a powerful lever for growth. And in times of uncertainty and economic pressures, its value becomes even more critical. Yet, US companies are falling short, underinvesting in traveling for work, which is essential for staying competitive in today’s fast-moving and fast-changing markets,” said GBTA CEO Suzanne Neufang.
The full report can be downloaded here.
Additionally, GBTA recently released a report exploring the ROI of business travel in the UK, finding a £319 billion sales opportunity through a 9.7% increase in T&E spending, according to the announcement. The report can be found here.
[07.15.25]
