Global hospitality group Accor has predicted that 20% of international business meetings may be permanently off the agenda, as organisations continue to harness virtual equivalents and shift their priorities toward green travel and corporate social responsibility.

‘Mindful and meaningful travel’ were the priorities identified at Accor Northern Europe’s annual Masters of Travel meeting, which saw a panel of European business leaders from 10 industries meeting with senior Accor insiders to discuss business travel in the post-COVID world.

Sophie Hulgard, Accor Senior Vice President of Sales – Northern Europe, said companies were looking to engage in fewer, but more purposeful, business trips.  

“Around 20% of business meetings may have gone forever, to be replaced by virtual equivalents or the realisation that they simply weren’t necessary in the first place. Instead we are seeing the emergence of a much more purposeful business travel sector where companies want to maximise the value of each trip to reconnect teams, grow culture, strategise, close deals, and strengthen bonds with employees.”

Accor has found, however, that there is still an earnest need for business meetings, in light of research showing that workers expect to make 25% more revenue through face-to-face meetings over virtual meetings, and that 47% of workers miss social interactions with colleagues and associates.

“Business travel enables real connections and has incredible power and value, not just in financial terms but – in the new post-pandemic mindset – increased employee satisfaction and wellbeing and therefore loyalty to employers. But the future of business travel must banish inconsequential trips and replace them with business-critical travel that is sustainably planned and delivers for the employee, the employer and the planet,” said Hulgard.

Accor highlights that trends are shifting toward longer business trips to meet more clients or associates on any one trip, and towards ‘workations’, where business travel is combined with leisure travel.

In an Accor poll in Northern Europe, one in 10 travellers plan to extend their holiday in 2022 by working abroad and 53% agreed that they ‘love the freedom of working from anywhere’. According to Accor, this flexibility in business travel enables corporates to support employer branding and encourage the ‘linger Longer’ benefits of business travel.