In today's rapidly evolving business landscape, the role of business travel has evolved beyond its traditional focus on top-line growth. The rise of a hybrid workforce has ushered in a new era, where strategic travel can drive internal engagement and cultural cohesion.

Discover exclusive insights and business travel benefits from a groundbreaking report by Harvard Business Review Analytic Services, in association with American Express Global Business Travel, exploring how organisations are using business travel to strengthen their internal structure and enhance employee engagement.

This comprehensive survey, involving 425 respondents with influence over their organisation's travel programmes, surfaces insights on:

• Hybrid workforce dynamics: Learn how the shift to remote and hybrid work models has heightened the need for personal connections and engagement via business trips.
• Benefits of business travel: Find out how companies can lean into business travel to improve collaboration, boost employee engagement, and nurture relationships, all while strengthening their company culture.
• Key success drivers: Discover the essential components that make a business travel programme thrive and learn from real-world examples.
• Aligning with business objectives: Understand how travel policies can be used strategically to propel broader business goals.

The survey's findings underscore the vital importance of in-person interactions. An overwhelming 88% of respondents stress the significance of face-to-face meetings, workshops, and offsite gatherings to nurture relationships between employees and coworkers.

Companies are reengineering their physical spaces, embracing the notion of fluid work hubs, with effective business travel management serving as the vital bridge uniting a dispersed workforce.

Successful organisations are becoming more deliberate about when and why they bring people together for in-person meetings and events. And the companies doing it best have support from the very top; 82% of respondents emphasised the importance of executive leadership setting an example for the rest of the organisation to encourage face-to-face interactions.

Adapting corporate travel policies to align with shifting business objectives, streamline costs, cater to sustainability objectives and consider employee well-being to prevent burnout is crucial. However, the disconnect between recognising these needs and adequate funding for travel programmes still requires a check-in to transform travel programmes and encourage new cultures around business travel.

Partnering with an experienced business travel management company (TMC) is proving instrumental for organisations looking to fine-tune their travel policies, benchmark, and navigate the evolving business landscape.

When managed strategically for internal purposes, travel isn’t just an expense. It’s an investment that yields stronger partnerships among employees, builds new culture, fosters collaboration in business relationships, bolsters employee engagement, and contributes to a unified culture. In today's world, where many tasks can be accomplished remotely, relationships and collaboration thrive when nurtured in person.

If you're keen to align your travel programme with today's business needs and drive internal growth, don't miss the insights offered in this report. Download the full report today and set your organisation on the path to success through internal engagement.

Interested in learning more? Read the report, “Investing in travel to drive business growth” here.