Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Five places business travel has changed post-pandemic

Five places business travel has changed post-pandemic

As Covid restrictions and quarantines continue to lift around the world, work-related trips are bouncing back in a big way in 2022.

While all travel took a tumble during the pandemic, international business travel, in particular, was hit hard, as video calls and conferencing quickly took the place of on-site visits and in-person client meetings. But as the world learns to live with the virus, work-related trips have come bouncing back in a big way in 2022.

In fact, according to travel management company TripActions, business travel bookings for the first three months of 2022 alone surpassed more than half of all bookings for 2021, with an 875% increase from March 2021 to March 2022. Because of the newfound acceptance of remote work, business travellers are also booking longer "bleisure" stays, combining business trips with extra days for fun. More than a third of business travellers are booking longer (four- to seven-day) stays, a boost of three percentage points from last year.

As Covid restrictions and quarantines continue to lift around the world, certain places are seeing the biggest boom in this type of travel. We selected five countries that are seeing impressive rebounds across different international regions, based on the number of international business travel bookings (which include flight, hotel, rail and black car bookings) within the TripActions platform, and spoke to residents to find out how business travel is changing and how to have a more sustainable work-play stay.

One of London's financial hubs, Canary Wharf is home to many national and global headquarters


United Kingdom


With the most business bookings in Europe this year, according to TripActions data, the UK serves as a hub for international trade. In-person meetings remain an important piece of that culture.

"Many global companies have their headquarters in London," said Ioanna Karelia, founder of online business Be Your Maverick. "Conducting business in person is often necessary to establish trust and close deals." The UK lifted the last of its travel Covid restrictions (including arrival tests and passenger locator forms) in mid-March, and the bounce in business travel has already been evident.

"Business travellers have begun to pour in from all corners of the globe," said Harrison Sharrett, marketing manager of office rental company Prime Office Space. We're seeing renewed demand for coworking spaces and other types of flexible spaces that are conducive to short-term stays."

Conducting business in person is often necessary to establish trust and close deals


To offset some of the carbon costs of international commuting, business travellers can look to stay in hotels with sustainability practices, like One Aldwych in London's Covent Garden, which earned Green Tourism Business Scheme's gold accreditation, thanks to its sustainable food sourcing, on-site compost programme and biodegradable amenity packaging. Or try the city's Good Hotel: it not only donates its profits to social causes around the world, but the building itself was repurposed from a derelict floating hotel from the Netherlands.

While the majority of Covid restrictions have been lifted, each country (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) has its own remaining rules that travellers should check before departing.

Business travellers to Catalonia are now looking outside of Barcelona for corporate getaways


Spain


With the second-most business travel bookings in Europe this year (after the UK), Spain has seen some types of business travel – in particular corporate getaways – emerge even stronger post-pandemic, especially in the economically important Catalonia region.

"Pre-Covid we would receive on average two or three business corporate event enquiries per month," said Richard Calvin, owner of Charming Villas Catalonia. "Since Christmas, we are now receiving on average eight to 10 monthly enquiries."

The style of travel is changing too. Whereas, before, groups wanted to be close to Barcelona and spend more time in the city, today's activity requests tend to be more countryside-based. "The necessity of being close to Barcelona is not so high," said Calvin.

Corporations booking Spain-bound travel are also taking the environment more seriously than ever. As Calvin notes, companies have increasingly asked for electric or hybrid cars and are opting for local businesses over global chains.

For a stay combining historical charm with future sustainability, try the Can Cuch Hotel, located in a 10th-Century farmhouse within Catalonia's Natural Park of Montseny. The property relies only on its own produced energy (predominantly generated via thermal and photovoltaic plates), needing no fossil fuels at all.

Guadalajara has seen big investments into business over the past two years


Mexico


With the most business travel bookings of any Latin American country, Mexico maintained some of the most open travel policies during the pandemic, with anyone allowed arrive by air for business or leisure, regardless of vaccination status. Due to this, the nation has seen both an influx of digital nomads, as companies adopted more expansive remote-work policies, and an increase in corporate retreat bookings, as employees take the opportunity to gather outside an official HQ space.

While Mexico City remains the most important economic hub, Guadalajara, the country's second largest city, has made big investments into business over the past two years. The country's largest convention centre, Expo Guadalajara, invested more than $23m Mexican pesos during the pandemic to facilitate hygienic practices, implement testing procedures and build isolation areas.

The region has also seen a spate of new openings in the past year. Fernanda Landa, director of the Guadalajara Tourism Board, recommends restaurant Yunaites, which opened in January 2021. "It's a new concept in Mercado IV Centenario [a city marketplace], inspired by high-quality dairy products from the small town of San José de Gracia," she said. "Try the mole cosechero [a pork and cumin-flavoured sauce dish], minguiche tacos [which include chilies, cheese and cream] and encotijadas [similar to an enchilada, but with a Cotija cheese sauce], which can be enjoyed from communal seating."

She also recommends MATEOS restaurant located within the newly opened Bellworth Hotel, which aims to make it easier for people to transition to a plant-based diet by offering primarily vegetarian options that highlight local produce in traditional Mexican dishes.

Delhi locals say that signs of business recovery are already evident, with increased traffic on the roads


India


Though business travel was hit particularly hard here, India remains a leader in Asia-Pacific business bookings, ranking second in the region after Australia. In fact, airlines have launched new non-stop flights between the two countries, which will facilitate business even further.

Account for traffic, especially when planning for meetings


Signs of business recovery are already evident, according to locals. "The streets are now back to normal and it may take additional time going from one point to another," said New Delhi resident Seema Roy, area managing director for Preferred Hotels and Resorts. "Account for traffic, especially when planning for meetings."

Roy said travellers should also be prepared for the significant changes hotels have made to improve safety, including thermal scanning, contactless check-in and check-out, and digital menus in restaurants.

Though located in a historical 1950s building, the five-star Ashok Hotel in Delhi has made many improvements in recent years to become LEED gold-certified, embracing reclaimed rainwater and planting native vegetation and an on-site organic garden. In Agra, the newly opened Tree of Life Ecotainers transforms old shipping crates into 320-sq-ft rooms, situated in a lush private garden with outdoor seating.

While travellers no longer have to provide a PCR test upon arrival to the country, they still must upload their details via a self-declaration form online and wear a mask in most settings, though this may vary from state to state.

Calgary is a business travel hub due to its large oil and natural gas industries


Canada


Ranked ninth in overall business bookings for this year, Canada has been seeing more remote workers in its resort destinations and longer business stays, according to rental property managers. While much of this so far has been driven by Canadian citizens taking advantage of remote work (more than 27% of employed Canadians are said to be taking a workcation this year), international travel here is expected to grow even more: the country removed its testing requirement in April for vaccinated travellers, which some expect will result in an influx of foreign workers and more international conferences.

"We have noticed business travel becoming an ever-increasing part of our business," said Vancouver resident Connor Griffiths, owner of vacation-rental company Lifty Life. "This is driven by remote workers choosing to make medium-length stays in the off-season, and our move into larger metropolitan cities such as Kelowna and Calgary."

Griffiths warns that Canada has the highest mobile data costs in the world, so business travellers should come prepared with an internationally supported plan, if possible.

Depending on the industry, business travel tends to focus on Vancouver and Calgary in the western part of the country and Montreal and Toronto in the east. In Vancouver, the boutique OPUS hotel gives guests free cruiser bikes to explore the city and offers a zero-waste cocktail programme. Toronto resident Baruch Labunski, CEO at Ontario-based marketing company Rank Secure, recommends staying at Hotel X Toronto for its green ethos.

"It's LEED certified, has green rooftops, recycles everything possible, and it's situated in gorgeous parks and gardens," he said. "Sure, you could stay at a faceless chain hotel, but I think we should celebrate the return of business travel by cultivating cool experiences, even while we're working on the road."

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that Hungary will not adopt the euro because the European Union is falling apart.
Mayor in western Germany in intensive care after stabbing
Australian government pays Deloitte nearly half a million dollars for a report built on fabricated quotes, fake citations, and AI-generated nonsense.
BYD’s UK Sales Soar Nearly Nine-Fold, Making Britain Its Biggest Market Outside China
Latvia to Bar Tourist and Occasional Buses to Russia and Belarus Until 2026
Wave of Complaints Against Apple Over iPhone 17 Pro’s Scratch Sensitivity
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Trump Says Ukraine Can Fully Restore Borders with NATO Backing
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Germany Weighs Excluding France from Key European Fighter Jet Programme
Cyberattack Disrupts Check-in and Boarding Systems at Major European Airports
Björn Borg Breaks Silence: Memoir Reveals Addiction, Shame and Cancer Battle
When Extremism Hijacks Idealism: How the Baader-Meinhof Gang Emerged and Fell
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
Trump Orders $100,000 Fee on H-1B Visas and Launches ‘Gold Card’ Immigration Pathway
France’s Looming Budget Crisis and Political Fracture Raise Fears of Becoming Europe’s “Sick Man”
Three Russian MiG-31 Jets Breach Estonian Airspace in ‘Unprecedentedly Brazen’ NATO Incident
European manufacturers against ban on polluting cars: "The industry may collapse"
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
Christian Brueckner Released from German Prison after Serving Unrelated Sentence
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
×