AMERICAS – A new report from the education and research arm of the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), the GBTA Foundation, has found that premium travellers from developing countries have taken more international trips in the past 12 months and expect to take even more over the next year.
The 2012 Premium Business Traveller Study surveyed premium travellers from ten developing countries around the world, including Brazil, Argentina, Russia, Israel, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and India.
Around 40 per cent of travellers say they took more international trips in the last 12 months than in previous years, compared to 32 per cent who say they’ve taken less. Looking ahead to the next 12 months, travellers expect to fly in a premium class of service more often than they have before.
The study also revealed that 72 per cent would select one airline over another due to availability of Wi-Fi, with availability of AC power and mobile phone capabilities also strong motivators.
“With the global economy still struggling we decided it made sense to focus this year’s premium travel study on countries that are still experiencing rapid growth,” says Senior Director of Research at GBTA Foundation, Michael W. McCormick. “As the business travel landscape becomes more global, airlines, hotels and travel suppliers must be ready to serve the needs of this influx of customers from developing countries.”
MD of Boeing’s Airline Marketing Services, Jeff Cacy, says: “We are delighted to partner with the GBTA Foundation on this research to identify flying preferences by global travellers. The data gathered gives airlines access to trend and needs based directly on passenger feedback.”
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