A new survey from global travel management firm CTM finds that 86% of the two youngest generations in the workforce—Millennials and Gen Z—are taking business trips at least once per year, with the most popular reason being conventions, events, and trade shows. The survey, which was conducted in March, included more than 700 worldwide respondents.
Moreover, the survey found that these professionals consider travel a critical aspect of their career progression and performance. This is good news for the business travel community, as there were concerns that digital meetings—which accelerated quickly earlier this decade during the pandemic—would continue to soften the corporate travel space, but the rebound has been strong.
While events was the top reason (44%), training and education (42%) and customer/sales meetings (38%) rounded out the top three.
When asked what they enjoyed most about business travel, experiencing a new destination (51%) led, followed by collaborating with colleagues and partners (47%), taking a break from routine (46%), and meeting new people (37%). Knowing their incentive for traveling could help hospitality companies expand their trip beyond their primary meeting.
CTM Global Chief Technology Officer Joel Bailey
Additional market research shows that 41% of those younger travelers are excited about the use of AI in travel, which is especially true when it comes to booking speed and costs of travel products. About 31% expressed some level of concern.
“Millennial and Gen Z travelers are going to be our future business decision-makers, so they are not just influencing the future of business travel, they are defining it,” says CTM Global Chief Technology Officer Joel Bailey. “Their clear preference for digital tools and confidence in the benefits of AI are shaping how we evolve our technology roadmap. We’re continuing to invest in proprietary AI to deliver faster, more personalized experiences and omni-channel service solutions that empower users to book and manage travel with the convenience of their chosen device, location and time.”
Visit travelctm.com for more information.
[05.20.25]