The number of business trips Consultancy Roland Berger expects limited demand for air travel worldwide this year. Compared to the pre-Covid 2019 year, the number of expected business trips is 28% lower, according to the result of a survey of 7,000 participants in seven markets. A drop of 19% is to be expected for planned private trips.
On the one hand, many more people have traveled again – mainly due to catch-up effects – at the same time the number of respondents who said they want to travel less in the future has increased compared to 2021, according to the study. In addition to the increased use of online communication, ecological concerns are increasingly cited as the reason.
The number of long-distance trips remains much lower than in 2019
According to the analysis, overall demand for long-haul travel is expected to remain below pre-Covid levels over the coming year. This is the conclusion of the authors of the Global Consumer Survey study. In all key markets, respondents are planning far fewer trips than before the pandemic. The number of expected business trips decreased by 28% compared to 2019 and was therefore 5% lower than in the 2021 survey. The decline in expected private trips was 19% (2021: 18%). According to Roland Berger, the reluctance of consumers to travel long distances is particularly evident: the number of planned intercontinental business trips has fallen to 42% of the pre-Covid level; 22% less than in 2021.
Online communication replaces some travel
According to the survey, the main reason for the change in mobility behavior is the increased use of online communication, both for business trips (cited by 61% of respondents) and for private trips (40%) . Next come new travel guidelines (43%), new legal regulations (38%) and, with an increasing trend, ecological reasons (37%; +8% compared to 2021). In the case of private trips, legal regulations, financial but also ecological reasons come in second place, each with 36%.
