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Worldwide: The Global Business Travel Association’s (GBTA) latest Business Travel Index projects business travel spending to increase by 7.2 per cent in 2026.
The 2026 GBTA Business Travel Index Annual Global Report and Forecast covers 72 countries and 44 industries. It includes survey insights from more than 4,700 business travellers across 66 global markets.
According to the report, global business travel spending is forecast to reach a record $1.71 trillion USD in 2026, with the number of business trips worldwide expected to surpass 1.84 billion. This is up from an estimated 1.82 billion trips in 2025 – an increase of 1.3 per cent.
Global spending is projected to surpass $2 trillion by 2030.
The two largest markets driving demand are the US ($423 billion) and China ($403.7 billion), which together represent about 48 per cent of total global spend. In terms of growth among the top 15 markets, Brazil (13.8 per cent), Australia (11.5 per cent), South Korea (11.3 per cent), Türkiye (10.9 per cent) and Japan (10 per cent) rank among the fastest rising.
Among sectors, the fastest business travel spending growth through 2030 is expected in mining and quarrying (6.6 per cent CAGR), human health and social work (6.3 per cent), and education (6.3 per cent). However, these industries collectively represent just 1.6 per cent of total 2026 business travel spend.
Utilities (4.1 per cent CAGR through 2030) and manufacturing (4.4 per cent) are expected to have slower business travel spending growth, but collectively represent 42 per cent of business travel spend today. These two sectors will continue to have an outsized impact on overall spend through 2030.
The forecast identifies four forces shaping the outlook for 2026: resilient economic growth, strong business investment, heightened geopolitical uncertainty, and elevated transportation costs.
“The big story this year is that companies haven’t stepped away from travel, but they are increasingly more selective and productivity-focused,” said Suzanne Neufang, CEO of GBTA. “While business travel spending continues to grow, the number of trips is rising more slowly, making it necessary for all of us to assess industry and organisational impact. Travel remains essential, and companies are critically disciplined about where, how and why they travel.”
The report can be read in full here.
Highlights:
- Global business travel spending is forecast to reach a record US$1.71 trillion in 2026, increasing 7.2 per cent year on year, according to the GBTA Business Travel Index.
- Business travel volumes are expected to surpass 1.84 billion trips globally in 2026, up 1.3 per cent from an estimated 1.82 billion trips in 2025, with spending projected to exceed US$2 trillion by 2030.
- The United States and China remain the largest business travel markets, with forecast 2026 spending of US$423 billion and US$403.7 billion respectively, together accounting for approximately 48 per cent of global spending.
- Brazil, Australia, South Korea, Türkiye and Japan are among the fastest-growing major business travel markets in 2026, with spending growth ranging from 10 per cent to 13.8 per cent.
- Mining and quarrying, human health and social work, and education are forecast to record the fastest business travel spending growth through 2030, although utilities and manufacturing will retain greater influence due to their larger spending bases.
