VDR Business Travel Report 2024
22nd edition:
For the past 50 years, Verband Deutsches Reisemanagement (VDR) has been accompanying and shaping the develop- ment of business travel in Germany.
In this period, the sector has seen huge transformation – from business travel being a rarity in the 1970s to the market worth billions of euros it is today. Globalisation and digital transformation are driving mobility forward and are rendering professional travel management essential.
Business travel in Germany is an important growth engine. Many sectors benefit from it, regardless of region and season – from the hotel industry to retail and catering. But VDR is a trailblazer not only in economy-related thinking and action; sustainability is also gaining significance in the business travel industry due to our work.
The continuous wave of strike action at key transport providers at the beginning of the year showed that mobility is the basis for business travel and thus for a well functioning economy. Dialogue with our members is the right platform to create conditions for environment- and economy-friendly business mobility – in Germany and at the international level.
The 22nd VDR Business Travel Report exemplifies our consistency, even in times of crisis. Starting over 20 years ago as the first study that aimed to present representative, regular and independent facts, figures and trends, to this day it remains a reliable source for looking at the future and the past.
The way we view things has changed as new realisations have emerged over the past few decades. The results we have gathered have been the basis for discussion in Travel Management and have become essential collective knowledge. Current trends such as “New Work”, safety and artificial intelligence have developed to the point where they are impacting the agenda and the future of mobility. New work models present challenges to travel managers, but they also open up opportunities to increase efficiency and guide employees. Today’s travel managers are also taking on an increasingly important role in companies when it comes to efficiently orchestrating the complexity of requirements with all the relevant departments, such as Tax and HR. The future can be changed – we must keep the key coordinates in view and actively shape them to provide the best possible support to companies and business travellers.
With our members and partners, VDR is driving forward the transformation towards integrated business travel on many levels. Because one thing is clear: business travel and professional management of people and mobility will continue to evolve. They will remain an essential part of the economy and society. With VDR as an experienced partner, companies are well equipped for the challenges of the future.
