April 14, 2021

Survey: Two in Five Business Travelers Require Vaccine to Consider Travel


About 40 percent of business travelers surveyed last month by travel management consultancy GoldSpring Consulting indicated they "need to be vaccinated" before they'll consider traveling for business, according to results the firm shared with BTN. GoldSpring in March surveyed "more than 5,000" travelers worldwide from 10 companies, eight of which are multinationals, according to the firm.

About 20 percent of respondents said they don't need vaccines or any particular action from suppliers to resume business travel, and three-quarters of them said they would do so when appropriate government restrictions are lifted. The remainder want to see certain actions from suppliers to consider business travel, including requirements for Covid-19 screening (19 percent), proof of a negative test (12 percent) or vaccine passports (11 percent).

Still, 63 percent of business traveler respondents said they anticipate taking their next business trip within the next six months, the vast majority of whom plan to do so after June, according to the survey. The remaining 37 percent don't anticipate a trip before September. About 85 percent said they were comfortable with at least some domestic travel, and 76 percent said likewise for international travel.

"While the results are optimistic for business travel to return significantly by the end of year, it will be necessary for companies to check in routinely with travelers and gauge change in sentiment over time in the coming months," GoldSpring partner Will Tate said in a statement.

When those travelers do hit the road again, a substantial majority—92 percent—would feel comfortable staying overnight at a hotel.

The results are part of GoldSpring's recurring Business Traveler Sentiment Survey benchmarking report, the results of which participants can receive after taking the survey.

Copyright 2021 Northstar Travel Media, LLC. All rights reserved. From https://www.businesstravelnews.com. By Chris Davis.

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