The topic of business trips divides opinions: In many boardrooms, it is best to be discussed how cost savings, the safety of employees and business benefits, personal encounters can be reconciled. And while despite the booming of virtual meetings, many employees can hardly wait for traveling business, others prefer to handle their affairs via digital channels.

Wherever you stand with this debate, one thing is not to be dismissed: business trips are still extremely important in order to build up effective work relationships and promote growth. Nevertheless, there are points in which the different interest groups are evident. In order to understand the challenges and opportunities associated with business trips, managers must understand why opinions differ in such a way.

In the seventh annual SAP-Concur survey among business travelers worldwide 3,750 business travelers, 700 travel managers and 600 finance executives (Chief Financial Officers, CFOs) were asked about their – sometimes quite different – positions on the subject of business trips.

Why business trips are necessary

The overwhelming majority (94 %) of business travelers believed that travel is helpful or even essential for their professional success. However, 43 % of the CFOs stated that more than half of the business trips in their companies could effectively be replaced by teleconferences or other communication methods for which no trips are required. And due to the trend towards virtual meeting options, a third (33 %) of the travel managers are concerned about the future of business trips in their company.

Traveling in the workforce

There are also different opinions with regard to the alleged travel nature of the employees: 70 % of the employees are ready to travel business in the next 12 months – an increase compared to 67 % in 2023. But not all groups in companies share this optimism. 35 % of travel managers believe that many employees only reluctantly travel, which in their opinion could be a hindrance to business trips. And almost half (45 %) of the CFOs believe that next year it could have a negative impact on your company if the employees are less willing or even refusing to start business trips. Even if many employees like to travel business, CFOs and travel managers continue to consider whether the motivation is so great that the associated business goals can be met.

Development of travel budgets

Each group of interviewed has a different opinion on how the travel budgets will develop. Almost half (48 %) of business travelers assume that travel budgets will stagnate or decrease in their company this year. In contrast, only 24 % of the CFOs and 22 % of travel managers believe that the budgets are shortened or remain the same – which indicates a gap between the fears of the workforce and the financial outlook of management.

Group with the greatest influence

In companies, there are different opinions about who has the greatest influence on business trips. Business travelers believe that travel managers (37 %) and CFOs (36 %) have a similar influence. This assumption is clearly ahead of the assessment of its own influence (28 %). Most of the travel managers stated (43 %) that they have almost the same influence as CFOs (41 %) and more influence than business travelers (16 %). 69 %of the CFOs did not agree and indicated that they are the most influential decision -makers and that their decision -making authority is clearly ahead of traveler (21 %) and travelers (9 %).

Effects of budget restrictions

Although they see travel as crucial for their professional position, two thirds (66 %) of business travelers stated that important trips were restricted for cost reasons. 69 % of travel managers are of the opinion that your company’s travel budgets do not reflect on how important business trips are for company success. And although CFOs also perceive this problem, they disagree: While 51 % of the CFOs partially agree that employees could not travel as much as it would be necessary for their work due to budget restrictions, only 29 % fully agree.

How data can contribute to solving the debate about business trips

For the first time in our global SAP Concur survey among business travelers, the results show how different the perceptions of travelers, travel managers and CFOs are. In order to enable employees to develop professionally and take new opportunities, it is important that all interest groups in the company work towards common goals.

And so that everyone pulls together, in addition to an open dialogue, transparency is of great importance. Companies need a common data source to understand behavior, coordinate priorities and make well -founded decisions. Integrated solutions for travel and expense management offer companies the data and knowledge they need to manage their travel programs and budgets in a complex environment with numerous interest groups. SAP Concur solutions can help analyze the expenditure of employees, to achieve cost savings and to ensure that business trips are efficient.

Here Find out more about the seventh worldwide survey on business trips from SAP Concur.

Charlie Sultan is President of Concur Travel at SAP Concur.

The survey “SAP Concur Global Business Traveler Survey” was from Wakefield Research Between April 30 and May 12, 2025, under 3,750 business travelers in 24 markets: in the USA, Canada, Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Germany, France, the Benelux countries (Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg), Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Italy, Spain, Anz (Australia, New Zealand), in the Middle East Emirates, Saudi Arabia), Japan, Korea, India, Mexico, Brazil, Southeast Asia (Singapore, Malaysia), South Africa, Portugal, in Switzerland and Austria.
The survey “SAP Concur Global Travel Manager Survey” was from Wakefield Research Between April 30 and May 12, 2025, the travel programs for companies in seven markets conduct or tax travel programs: in Germany, Italy, Canada, Japan, Anz (Australia, New Zealand), Great Britain and the USA.
The survey “SAP Concur Global CFO Survey” was Wakefield Research Between April 30 and May 12, 2025, under 600 CFOs in six markets: in Germany, Canada, Japan, Anz (Australia, New Zealand), Great Britain and the USA.