Business travel volumes in Germany fell 8 per cent in 2024, while the average cost per trip increased by 7 per cent, according to data from the country¡¯s business travel association, VDR.

The association¡¯s Business Travel Report 2025, published on Wednesday (21 May), revealed business travel activity has ¡°stablised¡±, with a total of 107.1 million trips in 2024, compared to 116.7 million trips recorded the year prior.

Overall spend, however, is up 2 per cent, reaching €47.2 billion, and the average cost per trip has increased 7 per cent to €439.

Beyond price inflation, VDR said the increases signal a shift in travel policy and behaviour. ¡°Companies are placing greater value on quality, selectively opting for comfort or sustainable alternatives. Travel expenses are increasingly viewed in a more nuanced way ¨C not merely as costs, but as investments with tangible business value,¡± it stated in the report.

The association, which commissioned market research firm Statista to survey 803 "corporate travel decision makers" between January and April 2025 for the report, also pointed to increases in blended travel and smarter travel choices, with corporates taking fewer but longer trips where appointments are often ¡°bundled¡± and routes ¡°optimised¡±. This may also explain the recorded uptick in international business travel ¨C which jumped from 28 per cent of all trips in 2023 to 35 per cent in 2024.

Nevertheless, sustainability remains a focus. While 26 per cent of corporates already have a sustainability strategy in place for business travel, this is expected to double by 2026, according to the report. Optimising rail travel is a key feature here, with 29 per cent of companies reporting their travellers use rail for more than half of all domestic trips, while 63 per cent actively promote its use.

Artificial intelligence (AI) and travel risk were also identified as key areas of interest.

A third (32 per cent) of companies surveyed are currently using AI in travel management, and by 2026 or later, that number is expected to almost double to 63 per cent.

Close to half (48 per cent) of large corporates (those with more than 500 employees) already use AI to help manage travel, while that figure drops to 23 per cent for small and medium-sized enterprises (10 to 500 employees). Use cases primarily include data analysis, reporting and communication.

Additionally, travel risk management is ¡°gaining massive importance¡± as the vast majority (92 per cent) of corporates now consider it more relevant. Of that, more than half (54 per cent) consider travel safety and security "significantly more relevant." This extends far beyond traditional emergency planning to include compliance requirements, cybersecurity, occupational health and safety, and risk analyses, the report said.