A growing number of German companies has issued a complete ban on business travel, according to new figures from buyers¡¯ association VDR.

In its most recent survey of its corporate members, the association found that 5.6 per cent of the 89 companies that responded had banned business travel regardless of the reason for the trip. The figure is four times the previous highest level found in its regular surveys back in mid-September.

Companies are also pushing back when they think business travel will recover. The survey found that 17.1 per cent of companies believed that business travel would resume by the end of the first quarter of 2021, although only slightly fewer companies (15.6 per cent) said they believed it would now be beyond the first half of next year.

Two thirds of German companies say that unclear legal provisions at the destination and complicated entry requirements are stopping them from sending business travellers abroad at the moment.

Nearly half (48. 8 per cent) of the companies in the survey said it was very likely that they would examine the necessity of business travel more carefully in the future.

A large number of companies (87.6 per cent) believe that business travel costs are going to rise in the future and nearly six out of ten companies are very concerned about the potential insolvency of suppliers.