# Business travel bounces back with $1.71 trillion on the table

Canonical-URL: https://notitur.com/en/digest/business-travel-spend-record-gbta
Text-Version: https://notitur.com/en/digest/business-travel-spend-record-gbta.txt
Markdown-Version: https://notitur.com/en/digest/business-travel-spend-record-gbta.md
Language: en
Published: 2026-09-11T06:31:34.310Z
Modified: 2026-09-11T06:31:34.310Z
Author: Joan Sanz
Topics: Tendencias
Summary: GBTA closes its 2026 convention with a record forecast for corporate spend and a clear message: tech helps, but human support still rules.

## Article

The GBTA convention has left one number worth writing down: global business travel spend will hit **$1.71 trillion** in 2026, according to the forecast shared by [Suzanne Neufang on Hospitality Net](https://www.hospitalitynet.org/opinion/4134323/whats-on-the-minds-of-the-business-travel-industry-now). That is the segment's all-time high, and it lands after years of doom talk about corporate travel being dead.

What people are actually chewing on at the tables goes elsewhere. Companies are no longer debating whether to travel or not, they are debating which trips actually deliver value. That return-driven prioritisation is reshaping spend policies and, along the way, the relationship between agencies, OTAs and travel managers. Anyone who cannot justify why a given trip happens is in trouble.

And a stat I did not see coming: despite the AI push, human support remains the most valued asset. Tech is gaining ground in management and control, but when a traveller is stuck at an airport, they want a person on the other end. That is a clear opening for agencies and TMCs that can pair automation with real attention.

## Sources

- Hospitality Net: https://www.hospitalitynet.org/opinion/4134323/whats-on-the-minds-of-the-business-travel-industry-now

## Citation

Business travel bounces back with $1.71 trillion on the table. Notitur. 2026-09-11. https://notitur.com/en/digest/business-travel-spend-record-gbta