Previous studies have come to the same conclusion. A new survey by Airplus underlines the trend: 57 per cent of employees see business travel as a privilege in an age of videoconferencing. At the same time, 28 per cent have been encouraged by their company to replace travel with virtual conferencing in the last twelve months, while 22 per cent have complained about reduced travel budgets. As a result, almost one in three business travellers in Europe (31 per cent) would change jobs if they suddenly had little or no opportunity to travel, with this figure rising to around 40 per cent for Gen Y and Z. The survey was conducted by the corporate payment expert among 543 business travellers in nine European countries (Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the UK).
Generations Y and Z and men in particular enjoy business travel
Business travel therefore has a significant positive impact on employee satisfaction, loyalty and employer attractiveness. Flexible working arrangements are particularly in demand, with 71 per cent in Europe and 78 per cent in Germany. For more than half (56 per cent) of European respondents, a company car or mobility allowance is important, and for 49 per cent and 45 per cent respectively, the ability to take time off and work from home is important. Gen Y and Gen Z employees value all of these benefits more than Baby Boomers and Gen X. For younger age groups and men, the ability to travel on business is even more of a status symbol than for older age groups and women. According to the AirPlus Business Travel Index, women traditionally make up only one in five business travellers.
In general, more than half (51 per cent) of respondents consider people who take particularly exclusive business trips to be privileged. 37 per cent of respondents consider people who travel frequently on business to be particularly important.
Business travellers and corporates have been by far the largest group of guests for Apartmentservice since its inception in 2001. This is because serviced apartments, with their sleeping, living, kitchen and work areas, offer a more homely atmosphere than traditional hotel rooms. Whether for a few nights or several months, the Berlin-based booking platform offers a wide range of serviced apartments in over 300 partner properties. The reservations team knows many of the partner properties personally.