2009 SURVEY RESULTS - the outlook for the year ahead
in association with
Sample profile: primarily buyers in large to medium sized organizations reflecting the magazines core readership.
Clearly lowest price in class is now the most significant consideration amongst buyers with two thirds (67%) of buyers seeking this but significantly, on average, two thirds (65%) are not expecting to have to downgrade airline seats, rooms or car rental categories.
Nearly two thirds (63%) of buyers are expecting their travel budgets will be cut by more than 10% for 2009 year on year. Half of those buyers polled now have meetings and events responsibility and again two thirds (67%) expect their meetings budgets to be cut by over 10% too.
Buyers have seen marked improvement in the quality of account handling from TMC’s, airlines and hotel groups but over two thirds (68%) iindicate there has been no improvement at all from car rental companies.
Self booking tools are clearly helping buyers to impose policy compliance with nearly three quarters (72%) indicating that these systems assist them in controlling their travellers activities.
TMC’s are seen as providing the best value airfares, whilst the jury seems to be out on hotel rooms and when it comes to car rental value well over half (60%) indicate they have some way to go.
Nearly half (44%) of the buyers polled indicate their job role is now defined as 'procurement’ and significantly well over half (58%) indicate that purchasing travel is not their most important role in the company. Clearly the procurement professional is now a very significant decision maker for travel but they are not travel specialists.
When prioritising the objectives of their travel buying role, reducing overall spend is seen as the most important consideration, followed by ensuring the safety of travellers, whilst sourcing new technologies to help reduce spend is well ahead of reducing the carbon footprint of their organisation.
| Do you agree or disagree with the following statements | agree | disagree |
| Lowest price in class is now the over-riding factor when negotiating with a travel supplier | 66% | 34% |
| My organisation plans to impose downgrading of class for travellers when booking Airlines | 36% | 64% |
| My organisation plans to impose downgrading of class for travellers when booking Hotel rooms | 38% | 62% |
| My organisation plans to impose downgrading of class for travellers when booking Car rental | 28% | 72% |
| My organisation's travel budget will be reduced more than 10% for 2009 over 2008 | 63% | 37% |
| Meetings and events are now part of my buying responsibility | 51% | 49% |
| My organisation's meetings and events budget will be reduced more than 10% for 2009 over 2008 | 68% | 32% |
| Account management from TMC's has improved in recent years | 77% | 23% |
| Account management from Airlines has improved in recent years | 54% | 46% |
| Account management from Hotel groups has improved in recent years | 68% | 32% |
| Account management from Car rental companies has improved in recent years | 32% | 68% |
| Account management from the following suppliers has improved in recent years: Other suppliers | 54% | 46% |
| Self booking tools have given me greater control over policy compliance | 72% | 28% |
| My TMC provides my company with the best value for money when booking Airlines | 64% | 36% |
| My TMC provides my company with the best value for money when booking Hotel rooms | 56% | 44% |
| My TMC provides my company with the best value for money when booking Car rental | 40% | 60% |
| My job role is now defined as procurement | 44% | 56% |
| Buying travel for my company is my most important role in the company | 42% | 58% |
| Which is most important to you for next year | Most
important | 2nd | 3rd | Least
important |
| reducing the carbon footprint of my organisation | 7% | 16% | 17% | 60% |
| ensuring the safety of my organisations travellers by tracking and other methods | 25% | 42% | 28% | 5% |
| reducing the overall travel spend for my organisation | 61% | 14% | 16% | 9% |
| finding ways to reduce travel overall using new technologies | 7% | 28% | 39% | 26% |
