Modern Travel Managers Prioritise Sustainability

What could be more important for businesses than saving money and protecting ROI? These days, ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) commitments are king. This applies to corporate travel programmes as much as anything else in business. Which means travel managers and agencies have had to change their mindsets to include value and even ethics in their arrangements. 

According to a 2023 Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) report, 38% of travel managers believe that sustainability metrics are now more important than cost metrics when measuring their travel programme’s success. Basically, if you haven’t incorporated sustainability into your travel programmes, it’s strongly recommended that you do so now. 

Social Value vs. Environmental Sustainability

Having said all that, it doesn’t mean that cost is irrelevant. In fact, in 2023, the GBTA reported that  62% of businesses believe cost management is a top priority. You’re looking for balance, so you can protect your budget but still deliver strategic value as far as ESG programmes are concerned.

Let’s take a closer look at the social element in ESG policies.

There are two primary categories:

• Health, safety, and well-being: This is the biggest priority for corporate travel. It covers things like safe travel destinations (especially for vulnerable groups), managed schedules, and itineraries to avoid burnout, and health precautions such as up-to-date vaccinations and an allowance for bottled water in countries where contaminated water supply is a concern. 
• Community and social impact: This is a relatively broad category that includes things like an airline’s ethical labour practices, a hotel’s carbon reduction plan, a restaurant franchise’s sustainable supply chain, etc.  

Transparency is essential when it comes to community and social impact. Consumers want to know what businesses of all sizes are doing (or not doing) about social and environmental sustainability. Companies and organisations must make this information publicly accessible. 

If they don’t or it appears they are deliberately evading the issue, they risk alienating customers, but more than that, they risk their reputations. It’s very difficult to claw back consumer trust once it’s lost, so you should take transparency very seriously indeed.

Data Drives Insights & Informed Decision-Making

A few years ago, sustainability was almost impossible to quantify, which made it very difficult to determine its impact on profitability – and reputation. Modern analytics tools, however, have changed all that. Now, sustainability is quantifiable, auditable, and (very importantly) actionable. 

Most travel managers already put this data to good use, as the GBTA reports that 52% of travel managers spend more time on data analysis than they did five or so years ago. The returns are good because, in addition to cost savings, analytics improve efficiency, traveller safety, and, of course, sustainability.

Modern travel technology delivers the following ESG benefits:

• Dedicated sustainability dashboards: Dashboards provide complete visibility into your travel programme’s carbon costs on a macro and micro level, so you can get a general overview and drill down into specific information, like offset costs.
• Multi-level reporting on carbon emissions: Corporate travel managers can get details related to various aspects of their clients’ carbon footprints. For example, the difference between transport methods (train vs. plane), and the fuel efficiency of different routes. You can also find out more about:
  • Total emissions
  • Average CO2 per travel method, trip, and passenger.

Detailed information like this enables organisations to invest in sustainability projects that deliver meaningful results instead of impressive-looking, yet worthless figures. Ultimately, this transforms soft goals into hard, strategic metrics with a comparable value to financial performance.

Travel Now & in the Future

The shift in values comes at a time when the travel industry in general has risen to pre-pandemic levels. Business travel continues to grow as more face-to-face meetings are planned for the coming years. It seems that while video conferences and calls are still practical and the best way to save costs and maintain a low carbon footprint, there really is no substitute for the human touch.

However, it can be challenging to make sustainable travel arrangements. It’s certainly time-consuming. Businesses are, in essence, looking for partners, not just travel agents. Partners who can help them travel with greater social and environmental awareness that also aligns with their mandates. 

Corporate travel specialists are in high demand, not only to save costs, but also to deliver actionable data that guarantees ethics in clients’ own businesses and all travel-related companies. The aim is to achieve long-term resilience.

Posted on 20 February 2026 by VMR Travel