A global view of rising costs, persistent risks, and the strategic shifts facing corporate travel programs
Nov 21, 2025
The article outlines BCD Travel’s 2026 Travel Market Report, highlighting modest airfare inflation, stronger hotel rate increases, and ongoing operational risks that corporate travel programs must navigate. Economic weakness, lingering inflation, and geopolitical uncertainty shape the broader context for business travel next year. Travel buyers are encouraged to strengthen risk management, improve data-driven decision-making, and adopt more proactive strategies to manage rising costs across air, hotel, and ground transportation. Sustainability also emerges as a strategic priority, with companies increasingly expected to move from pledges to measurable progress.
Key takeaways
- Global economic fragility: Weak projected GDP growth and slow-moving inflation create a challenging backdrop for corporate travel in 2026.
- Expanding travel risk landscape: Extreme weather, regional conflicts, border policy changes, cyberattacks, misinformation, health risks, and limited capacity during major events form the six primary risk categories.
- Low airfare inflation: Global average ticket prices are expected to rise only 1.1%, with the strongest increases in Africa and Asia.
- Shifting airline dynamics: Reduced value of corporate contracts, rising fuel surcharges, NDC expansion, and program leakage will require stronger analytics and tighter program management.
- Hotel rate pressure: Global hotel rates are projected to rise 4.9%, with the Middle East seeing the sharpest increases and weaker inflation in North America and the Southwest Pacific.
- Rising car rental costs: Corporate car rental rates are set to increase 2–4% due to higher acquisition, repair, and city-related costs, pushing travelers toward alternate ground transport options.
- Sustainability accountability: Companies are expected to shift from commitments to measurable actions, supported by BCD’s tools for emissions reporting, traveler engagement, and decarbonization.
- Need for data-driven management: BCD emphasizes analytics, forecasting tools, and automated rate optimization as essential for mitigating costs and improving program performance in an uncertain environment.
Download the full report at BCD Travel
