Optimism within the world enterprise journey sector has dropped by greater than half this 12 months, in response to a report printed by the International Enterprise Journey Affiliation.
Constructive sentiment fell from 67% in November 2024 to 31% in April 2025, in response to the report which surveyed greater than 900 enterprise journey professionals on the have an effect on of tariffs, tightened border insurance policies and different U.S. authorities insurance policies introduced this 12 months.
A couple of in 4 respondents in Canada, the USA and Europe mentioned they felt “pessimistic” or “very pessimistic” about trade outlook this 12 months.
Nonetheless, 40% of these surveyed mentioned they felt neither optimistic nor unfavourable.
“Since I’ve been in my position for 4 years, I have never seen this excessive of a stage of uncertainty,” Suzanne Neufang, the affiliation’s CEO, advised CNBC Journey Tuesday.
The survey confirmed practically 30% of enterprise journey consumers anticipate their corporations will cut back worker journeys this 12 months, whereas some 20% mentioned they weren’t positive, it confirmed.
“They are not even assured sufficient to have the ability to say issues will probably be high-quality or issues will not be high-quality,” she mentioned.
Some 27% of respondents additionally mentioned they count on enterprise journey spending to lower as properly.
Lengthy-term issues
A 3rd of enterprise journey consumers mentioned their corporations have both modified, or are contemplating altering, insurance policies relating to journey to or from the USA, the report confirmed.
Some 6% mentioned their corporations had relocated occasions from the U.S. to a different nation.
“From an APAC perspective, and definitely from a European perspective, possibly even LATAM, there’s the chance to be the supply of the place these conferences happen,” Neufang mentioned. “There are various different alternatives to be a winner on this commerce recreation.”
Enterprise journey professionals expressed a number of issues concerning the potential for the long-term influence brought on by choices of the Trump Administration this 12 months, led by worries over enterprise journey prices (54%) and issues processing visas (46%).
International airfares, nonetheless, are barely down — about $17, or 2.2% year-to-date — in response to FCM Consulting, a division of the enterprise journey firm FCM Journey.
Not all ‘doom and gloom’
Nonetheless, the worldwide enterprise journey market remains to be on monitor to prime $1.6 trillion by the top of 2025, Neufang mentioned.
Nonetheless, she mentioned that is solely “if the final 100 days do not influence negatively in every single place.”
By 2028, the International Enterprise Journey Affiliation expects, that quantity will cross the $2 trillion mark, she mentioned. She famous that whereas enterprise journey volumes have not returned to pre-pandemic ranges, enterprise journey spending absolutely recovered in 2024, partly on account of inflation.
However she mentioned the commerce conflict initiated by the Trump Administration may spell a bout of recent enterprise journeys.
“Throughout occasions of commerce wars, enterprise journey may very well improve for at the very least a time frame — for brand spanking new companions to be discovered [and] new markets to be constructed,” she mentioned. “You lose a buyer, you should discover one other one. So I believe that perspective does not imply all doom and gloom for us.”
Nonetheless, if tariffs stay elevated, “There will certainly be an influence to U.S. journey … However I believe Europe, Asia, Europe to Asia, Asia to Europe. I believe anyplace to Africa, all of these are in all probability high-quality.”
Leisure journey to the USA has fallen in 2025. Worldwide customer spending is projected to drop 4.7% from 2024, representing some $8.5 billion for the U.S. journey trade, in a 12 months revenues have been as soon as extensively anticipated to develop.
— CNBC’s Bella Stoddart contributed to this report.
