Sustainability is Going to Become a Part of Your Business Travel Program

This year’s Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) annual convention was held in San Diego during the second week of August. It was good to see the convention return with a healthy attendance of over 4,000 conventioneers, including corporate travel managers and suppliers from all over the world. 

As is typical, the attendees took advantage of a wealth of educational forums and keynote speakers and a trade show/expo in the massive facility that is the San Diego Convention Center.  What was different this year was the total commitment to the overarching theme that dominated the convention – Sustainability. Whereas past conventions welcomed the attendees with tote bags and flyers and the usual trinkets that one associates with checking in for these affairs, all of that was abandoned in the name of “sustainability.” The luncheon, sponsored by American Airlines, featured keynote speaker Ryan Panchadsaram who was excellent as he spoke about global climate and social responsibility, keeping with the theme ‘the meal was vegan’. There was also a separate Sustainability Pavilion that featured suppliers who provide travel agencies and corporate accounts with technology that helps with compliance and tracking of green initiatives.

What is sustainability? As defined by GBTA it is, “Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.” How does that apply to business travel? As advisors, we will be called upon to provide green alternatives for our business travelers. Whether it’s airlines flying fuel-efficient aircraft or using biofuels, hotels with housekeeping and operational efficiencies, car rental companies that are converting to electric vehicles, and ride-sharing, we will be required to be familiar with assisting business travelers in this sustainable initiative.

For those of us who have been involved with business travel, a policy is usually determined by the corporate customer in conjunction with the agency and presented to the employee/traveler as an accepted business travel policy. What is different here is that many of these new requirements are being requested (some say demanded) by the business travelers themselves and policy is being altered to accommodate them. 

This is not a fad. Ninety percent of corporate accounts have identified sustainability as a priority for their travel programs:

• Companies are looking to their travel agencies to provide them with sustainable travel solutions and compliance
• Business travel accounts are requesting documentation of compliance
• RFPs are including requirements that agencies provide sustainability programs and capability
• Your leisure and vacation customers are also looking for “green” travel suppliers

So here’s the good news. We, as travel advisors, are well positioned to become an integral part of helping our business travel customers and leisure travelers meet their needs when it comes to this growing appetite for sustainable travel. The GDSs have come a long way in identifying green alternatives and online booking tools like Concur are also assisting travelers with their green choices. There are travel technology companies such as Thrust, Glooby, and Clean Travel that provide tracking and compliance reporting for agencies and corporate accounts. Additionally, the requirement by corporate accounts to measure and document their compliance means that we may see less “leakage” as travelers will be required to use the agency of record rather than book on their own.

So you see, there is a silver lining. Although we may have to step out of our comfort zone a bit and develop new skills and procedures, our customers will become more reliant on us as they embrace this new world where sustainability becomes a normal part of the business travel process.

Mark Altman
Forte Business Travel Solutions
516-624-0500 x5072
maltman@travelsavers.com