Tariffs are affecting business travel, but there could be an upside

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Tariffs are affecting business travel, but there could be an upside

Optimism in the global business travel sector has dropped by more than half this year, according to a report published by the Global Business Travel Association.

Positive sentiment fell from 67% in November 2024 to 31% in April 2025, according to

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which surveyed more than 900 business travel professionals on the affect of tariffs, tightened border policies and other U.S. government policies announced this year.

More than one in four respondents in Canada, the United States and Europe said they felt “pessimistic” or “very pessimistic” about industry

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this year.

However, 40% of those surveyed said they felt neither positive nor negative.

“Since I have been in my role for four years, I haven’t seen this high of a level of uncertainty,” Suzanne Neufang, the association’s CEO, told CNBC Travel Tuesday.

The survey showed nearly 30% of business travel buyers anticipate their companies will reduce employee trips this year, while some 20% said they weren’t sure, it showed.

“They’re not even confident enough to be able to say things will be fine or things won’t be fine,” she said.

Some 27% of respondents also said they expect business travel spending to decrease as well.

Long-term concerns

A third of business travel buyers said their companies have either changed, or are considering changing, policies regarding travel to or from the United States, the report showed.  

Some 6% said their companies had relocated events from the U.S. to another country.

“From an APAC perspective, and certainly from a European perspective, maybe even LATAM, there’s the opportunity to be the source of where these meetings take place,” Neufang said. “There are many other opportunities to be a winner in this trade game.”

Business travel professionals expressed several concerns about the potential for the long-term impact caused by decisions of the Trump Administration this year, led by worries over business travel costs (54%) and problems processing visas (46%).

Global airfares, however, are slightly down — about $17, or 2.2% year-to-date — according to the travel data company FCM Consulting.

Not all ‘doom and gloom’

Nevertheless, the global business travel market is still on track to top $1.6 trillion by the end of 2025, Neufang said.

However, she said that’s only “if the last 100 days don’t impact negatively everywhere.”

By 2028, the Global Business Travel Association expects, that number will cross the $2 trillion mark, she said. She noted that while business travel volumes haven’t returned to pre-pandemic levels, business travel spending fully recovered in 2024, partly as a result of inflation.

But she said the trade war initiated by the Trump Administration could spell a bout of new business trips.

“During times of trade wars, business travel may actually increase for at least a ******* of time — for new partners to be found [and] new markets to be built,” she said. “You lose a customer, you need to find another one. So I think that perspective doesn’t mean all doom and gloom for us.”

However, if tariffs remain elevated, “There will definitely be an impact to U.S. travel … But I think Europe, Asia, Europe to Asia, Asia to Europe. I think anywhere to Africa, all of those are probably fine.”

Leisure travel to the United States has fallen in 2025. International visitor spending is projected to drop 4.7% from 2024, representing some $8.5 billion for the U.S. travel industry, in a year revenues were once widely expected to grow.

— CNBC’s Bella Stoddart contributed to this report.

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