Corporate travel tips

Business travel has always been unhealthy. If you were into wellness, business travel coordinators might identify local healthy restaurants and hotels with gyms. 

The big players in the world of managing corporate travel are gearing up to get bigger: Amex GBT’s $570 million bid for CWT and the sale of Direct Travel to an investor consortium are two of the latest examples of the race to bulk up through mergers. 

Dubai Business Events, part of the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism and the city’s official convention bureau, on Monday will announce its first-ever recognition program for Indian intermediaries for meetings, incentives, conferences and events business.

Corporations have largely maneuvered out of the workplace upheavals inflicted by the global pandemic. One issue continues to vex managers: How to handle business travel for newly remote employees.

Steve Singh, co-founder of Concur, and a group of firms have fully acquired the corporate travel agency Direct Travel. And they’re planning to release a new platform for customers later this year that combines several new technologies from Direct Travel and three other startups that Singh has a stake in.

Executives of Amex GBT had an investor call Monday shortly after it announced plans to acquire CWT for $570 million.

Amex GBT plans to acquire CWT for about $570 million, a deal that would combine two of the industry’s largest corporate travel companies. 

India’s business travel spending is set to reach $38 billion this year, with a projected full recovery to pre-2019 spending levels by 2025, according to the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA).

After a sleepy holiday season, it was the biggest week in a while for startup funding in travel. 

TravelPerk, a growing business travel agency and software platform, has raised another $104 million. 

Despite India’s tremendous growth in aviation, the country remains a highly under-penetrated market, said Indian aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia.

Six travel startups announced fundraises of more than $208 million this week.

American Express Global Business Travel says its push to make it easier for small businesses to manage their travel needs has paid off. The company reported double-digit transaction growth in the small- and medium-sized business segment in the third quarter. 

Long wait times for visas and an outdated air infrastructure hobble the U.S.’s ability to attract travelers, said executives at the Skift Global Forum.

Flight Centre Travel Group has appointed John van den Heuvel as president of its Corporate Traveler USA Division, as the company places significant focus on growth in the region.

CDS Groupe, a hotel booking platform for business travel, is expanding into the German market through an acquisition. 

Kayak, the travel price-comparison service, on Tuesday debuted a corporate travel service for large companies.

Although business travel has made significant progress in its recovery in recent months, it’s uncertain if and when it will fully rebound from the pandemic.

The corporate division of Flight Centre Travel Group is outperforming the company’s leisure travel bookings, pointing to a comeback for a sector that has suffered significant cutbacks during the pandemic.

Three startups involved in the travel industry announced fundraises this week totalling more than $316 million.

Clarity Business Travel, a corporate travel agency based in the UK, plans to purchase two corporate travel businesses for £36.5 million ($46 million).