Global Business Travel Spending to Hit Record $1.71 Trillion in 2026, While Trips Reach 1.84 Billion, Says GBTA Forecast
GBTA’s latest Business Travel Index report shows spending gains driven by higher prices as geopolitical uncertainty and transportation pressures weigh on the outlook
Global business travel spending is forecast to reach a record $1.71 trillion USD in 2026, with the number of business trips worldwide expected to surpass 1.84 billion. The forecast highlights how rising transportation and travel costs are increasingly driving higher industry prices, ahead of the number of trips.
This is according to the 2026 GBTA Business Travel Index (“BTI”) Annual Global Report and Forecast, released today which projects global business travel spending to increase 7.2% in 2026. The report’s first-ever analysis of worldwide business travel volume projects approximately 1.84 billion trips for work will be taken in 2026. This is up from an estimated 1.82 billion trips in 2025 – an increase of 1.3%.
The report also reveals that global business travel spending grew 8.4% in 2025 to $1.59 trillion, outperforming last year's forecast of 6.6% growth, supported by stronger-than-expected economic activity, easing trade tensions in the second half of the year and overarching currency exchange effects. Global spending is projected to surpass $2 trillion by 2030, one year later than forecast last year due to moderating growth rates after 2026, yet still supported by sustained business investment and international commercial activity.
