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Global business travel spending is projected to reach $1.71 trillion in 2026, while business trip volume is expected to total 1.84 billion trips, according to the newly released GBTA Business Travel Index Annual Global Report and Forecast.The figures point to another year of expansion for the sector, although spending continues to grow at a significantly faster pace than trip volume.
According to the report — which combines economic analysis with survey responses from more than 4,700 business travelers across 66 global markets — business trips are expected to increase 1.3 percent this year while spending is forecast to climb 7.2 percent. The gap highlights that companies continue to spend more on each trip even as travel volume grows at a more measured pace, reflecting the continued impact of higher transportation and travel costs.
U.S. leads in travel spending
Regionally, recovery continues to vary. For its part, the United States remains the world's largest market for business travel spending, while Asia Pacific and Europe generated the highest trip volumes, each accounting for more than 600 million business trips. GBTA attributed those figures to Asia Pacific's concentration of business travel activity and Europe's strong regional connectivity.
Survey findings also suggest demand remains resilient: nearly three-quarters (74 percent) of business travelers said they traveled as much as or more than in previous years, led by Asia Pacific, where 80 percent reported maintaining or increasing their travel activity. Looking ahead, travelers remain cautiously optimistic, with 28 percent expecting to travel more in 2026 than they did in 2025. That figure rose to 36 percent among respondents in the Middle East and Africa.
Resilience in the face of economic challenges
The forecast builds on the sector's stronger-than-expected performance in 2025, when global business travel spending increased 8.4 percent, surpassing the 6.6 percent growth projected last year. GBTA attributed that performance to economic resilience, easing trade tensions during the second half of the year, and favorable currency exchange effects.
The 2026 outlook assumes continued economic expansion, sustained investment in technology and artificial intelligence, stable trade negotiations, no significant tariff escalation, moderating inflation, improving business confidence and a rebound in global economic growth following the 2025 slowdown.
Under those conditions, GBTA projects global business travel spending will exceed $2 trillion by 2030. Although geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, elevated transportation costs and trade policy uncertainty remain risks, the report anticipates continued long-term growth, with spending on pace to surpass the $2 trillion mark before the end of the decade.