How and Why the Role of Travel Manager is Changing

According to a recent survey conducted by GBTA, over the past five years the role of travel manager has evolved to deliver an even more significant value to the company. To provide this added value, travel managers with at least 15 years of experience spend more time focusing on new responsibilities:

• 65% more time managing data, analysis, and reporting
• 70% more time evaluating new technologies ­­
• 64% more time managing traveler safety and communications

The GBTA report Lost in Translation highlights what has been driving the need for the travel managers’ evolution:

1. Invisible Spend – Two out of five of hotel bookings are made outside of corporate channels. This statistic is identical between companies with strictly mandated travel policies and companies with more flexible travel policies.
2. Employee safety – In an emergency, employees today can expect their company to reach out quickly, sometimes in under an hour. Companies have found that they can react more quickly when they integrate employee safety, travel, and expense solutions.
3. Traveler satisfaction – Many companies today strive to be traveler-focused. Those that are provide travelers with easy-to-use, mobile travel technology to increase traveler satisfaction.

As the role of the travel manager continues to expand beyond familiar areas such as troubleshooting travel reservations and negotiating with suppliers, it becomes more strategic. As it does, experienced travel managers must become less siloed and collaborate with other teams in their companies.

Read the GBTA report to learn more about how the role of the travel manager is changing, and how travel managers can deliver more value with their managed corporate travel programs.