Hotel bookings soar for GTMC
Business travellers are packing more into their trips as travel management companies reported a leap in hotel bookings over the first nine months of the year.
Figures from the Guild of Travel Management Companies show the number of hotel reservations shot up 24.7% to the end of September with flight sales rising almost 8% and rail trips 7%.
Overall bookings hit nine million, a rise of 8% on 2004.
GTMC chief executive Philip Carlisle described the figures as “immensely significant.”
He said: “The increased number of air and rail tickets booked show that more and more British companies are actively seeking out business opportunities both at home and abroad.
“But more significantly, the disproportionately high growth in hotel bookings show that business travellers are packing more into each trip, following multiple business leads in different destinations, in the course of one extended journey.”
Overall bookings taken by GTMC members for the nine months hit 8.9 million with hotel transactions rising from 1.6m to 1.99m.
Flight bookings totalled 4.65m and rail 1.6m.
Carlisle said members have also taken 7.2% more ancillary bookings such as airport car parking and visa applications.
Report by Steve Jones
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