Managing travel on a global basis is the rule
The picture is very clear: Managing travel on a global basis has switched from being the exception to the rule, and the pace of globalisation is increasing.

“Think globally, act locally” is a much-used phrase in corporate travel. While easy enough to say, putting it into practice is considerably harder. The new AirPlus White Paper therefore defines some local issues that continue to trouble global programmes and suggests ways in which the gap between global and local might be bridged. To find out more, AirPlus and the ACTE have conducted an exclusive survey among business travel managers worldwide.

Why globalisation has increased
The ACTE survey determines nine reasons why globalisation has increased in the first place: Business travel outside Europe and North America has increased continuously over the past years, shifting budget and importance to destinations that had not been on the agenda before. That made it necessary to reassess global travel management. In combination with the necessity to track travellers in remote places all over the globe and the challenge to cut costs during a worldwide economic crisis, the reasons for globalisation became obvious. Following in the wake of multinational companies going abroad are more and more small and medium-sized companies. These relatively small players who are specialised in their field and focus on doing business with companies that globalise have to follow the market. To do so, they can rely upon the experience large companies and their service partners have gained over the years and the processes they have set up.

The challenges remain
Still, the White Paper also unveils the remaining challenges of globalisation. AirPlus and ACTE have identified eight reasons why there are still serious difficulties to solve before travel management can become completely global. Among them are especially national variations – partners and suppliers may vary from country to country, and so does local legislation. The AirPlus White Paper “Globalisation of Corporate Travel Programmes” that was released at the ACTE Global Education Conference in New York in April, shows that bridging the gap between global demands and local necessities will be the core challenge for companies that want to improve their skills as a global player.