Asia-Pacific Business Travel Gains Momentum as 45% of Corporate Buyers Expect More Trips in 2026

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Asia-Pacific business travel is gaining momentum as 45% of corporate buyers expect more trips in 2026, signalling a significant recovery in confidence after geopolitical uncertainty and higher costs weakened sentiment earlier in the year. The latest Global Business Travel Association survey shows that companies are becoming more willing to travel for growth, customer engagement and expansion, with Asia-Pacific among the regions where business growth and market development are major reasons for increasing corporate trips. The recovery is not without limits, however, as rising travel prices, geopolitical risks and disruption continue to influence corporate travel decisions.

Business Travel Confidence Reaches Its Highest Level of 2026

Corporate travel sentiment has changed substantially since the first half of the year.

GBTA’s September poll found that 63% of business travel professionals were optimistic about the industry’s outlook heading towards 2027.

That was a major increase from 41% in April and also exceeded the 59% recorded in January.

Pessimism moved in the opposite direction.

Only 7% of respondents expressed a negative outlook in the September survey, compared with 24% in April.

The turnaround is significant because business travel confidence had deteriorated sharply earlier in 2026 amid conflict involving Iran, higher jet-fuel prices and wider geopolitical uncertainty.

How business travel sentiment changed in 2026

The figures point towards a recovery in expectations across spending, trip numbers and industry revenue.

45% of Buyers Now Expect More Business Trips

The clearest indication of returning demand comes from corporate travel buyers.

Almost half — 45% — expect the number of business trips taken by their organisations to increase in 2026 compared with 2025.

In April, only 30% expected an increase.

At the same time, the share expecting business travel volumes to fall declined from 28% in April to 16% in September.

This is an important shift because buyers manage corporate travel programmes and have direct visibility into company policies, budgets and demand.

It also shows why the precise interpretation of the 45% figure matters. It represents expectations for overall business-trip volume rather than international travel alone.

Asia-Pacific Travel Is Closely Linked to Business Expansion

Asia-Pacific stands out because companies increasing travel to the region frequently connect those trips with growth.

GBTA found that business growth and market expansion are leading reasons among buyers expecting more travel to Asia-Pacific.

That creates a different picture from corporate travel undertaken mainly for internal meetings.

Companies may be sending employees into Asia-Pacific to pursue customers, establish commercial relationships, manage operations, build supply chains or explore new markets.

This gives business travel a direct connection with corporate expansion.

For airlines, hotels and travel management companies, that distinction is important. Travel connected with revenue-generating activity may prove more resilient than trips that businesses consider easier to replace with video meetings.

Asia-Pacific Is Already the World’s Largest Business Travel Market

The renewed confidence comes against an already powerful regional growth story.

GBTA forecast earlier in 2026 that Asia-Pacific business travel spending would exceed US$700 billion this year.

The organisation projected regional spending at approximately US$700.9 billion, representing year-on-year growth of 10.9%.

Asia-Pacific is expected to remain the world’s largest business travel market.

China is projected to account for around US$408 billion in business travel spending, while other important regional markets include Japan, South Korea, India, Australia, Taiwan, Indonesia and Singapore.

The scale of these economies gives the region considerable influence over global corporate travel.

Spending Is Growing Faster Than Trip Numbers

The latest poll also contains a warning against interpreting higher spending as equivalent to equally strong growth in travel volumes.

While 45% of buyers expect more trips, 56% expect their organisations’ business travel spending to rise.

That gap matters.

Companies are spending more partly because travelling itself has become more expensive.

GBTA’s Business Travel Index forecasts global business travel spending of US$1.71 trillion in 2026, an increase of 7.2%.

However, the total number of business trips is forecast to increase only 1.3% to approximately 1.84 billion.

This means inflation and higher transport costs are contributing significantly to the growth in spending.

Travel Costs Remain the Biggest Concern

Corporate confidence may have recovered, but cost control remains a major issue.

GBTA found that 69% of buyers identified rising travel costs as an influence on their planning.

Geopolitical uncertainty followed at 45%.

Other important pressures include:

• Internal approval and justification requirements
• Employee safety and security
• Airline and rail disruption
• Higher airfares
• Accommodation costs
• Changing corporate priorities

Companies are therefore not simply returning to unrestricted travel.

Instead, travel managers are becoming more selective about which journeys provide enough commercial value to justify their cost.

Geopolitical Risk Has Not Disappeared

The sharp rebound in sentiment should also be viewed against a complicated geopolitical background.

Geopolitical uncertainty remains particularly important for suppliers and travel management companies.

GBTA found that 60% of suppliers and TMCs identified geopolitical uncertainty as a major operating influence.

The issue is especially pronounced in Europe.

Among European respondents, 60% of buyers and 69% of suppliers and TMCs identified geopolitical uncertainty as a concern.

North American respondents placed comparatively greater emphasis on cost and corporate processes.

This demonstrates why business travel confidence can recover without the operating environment becoming simple.

Middle East Business Travel Faces a Different Outlook

Not every region is sharing the stronger expectations.

The Middle East has the weakest destination outlook in GBTA’s latest survey.

Around 34% of buyers expect their organisation’s travel to the Middle East to decrease during the coming 12 months, while only 14% anticipate an increase.

Among suppliers and travel management companies, 40% expect customer demand for Middle East travel to decline.

This stands in contrast with the more growth-oriented outlook surrounding Asia-Pacific, Europe and parts of the Americas.

The difference highlights how geopolitical events can redirect corporate travel flows between regions.

Meetings Are Also Supporting Corporate Travel

Business meetings remain another important demand source.

GBTA found that 31% of buyers expect the number of meetings requiring business travel at their organisations to increase during 2026.

Almost half, or 49%, expect meeting numbers to remain unchanged.

Only 14% expect a decrease.

The findings suggest that virtual communication has not removed the perceived value of face-to-face meetings.

Companies continue to travel for customer relationships, internal collaboration, sales, conferences and strategic projects.

Suppliers Are Becoming More Optimistic

Improving expectations are also visible among businesses selling travel services.

Almost half — 48% — of suppliers and travel management companies expect their business travel-related revenue to increase.

That is up sharply from 35% in April.

The share expecting revenue to decline has fallen from 27% to 14%.

This matters because airlines, hotels, travel management companies and other suppliers experience corporate demand from another side of the market.

Stronger expectations among both buyers and suppliers therefore provide broader evidence of improved sentiment.

Global Business Travel Spending Heads Towards a Record

GBTA’s wider 2026 outlook reinforces the scale of the market.

Its annual Business Travel Index projects global spending of US$1.71 trillion this year.

Approximately 1.84 billion business trips are expected worldwide.

Asia and Europe accounted for the largest volumes in 2025, each approaching 600 million trips or more.

GBTA’s traveller research also found that 74% of business travellers were travelling as much as or more than in previous years.

Asia-Pacific was even stronger, with 80% maintaining or increasing their travel activity.

This provides additional context for the region’s importance to the global corporate travel recovery.

Growth Is Becoming More Selective

The emerging business travel recovery is therefore different from a simple return to higher trip volumes.

Companies are asking harder questions about why employees need to travel.

Trips connected with customer relationships, market entry, business development and strategic collaboration may receive greater priority.

Routine journeys with limited commercial benefit can face greater scrutiny.

That is particularly relevant while travel prices remain elevated.

The result could be a business travel market that grows while simultaneously becoming more disciplined.

Conclusion: Asia-Pacific Business Travel Gains Momentum as 45% of Corporate Buyers Expect More Trips in 2026

Asia-Pacific business travel is gaining momentum as 45% of corporate buyers expect more trips in 2026, reflecting a sharp recovery in industry confidence after the uncertainty seen earlier this year. GBTA’s September survey shows overall optimism climbing to 63%, while expectations for trip volume, spending and supplier revenue have all strengthened.

Asia-Pacific occupies a particularly important position in this recovery. Business growth and market expansion are leading reasons companies expect to increase travel to the region, while separate GBTA forecasts put Asia-Pacific business travel spending above US$700 billion in 2026.

The outlook, however, remains disciplined rather than unrestricted.

Travel costs are still the biggest concern for corporate buyers, geopolitical uncertainty remains significant and spending is rising much faster than actual trip numbers.

That means companies are increasingly focused on journeys that can support measurable commercial objectives.

For airlines, hotels, travel management companies and destinations across Asia-Pacific, the September rebound provides an encouraging signal. Corporate travel confidence has returned strongly, and 45% of buyers now expect more business trips, but the next phase of growth will increasingly depend on whether those journeys can support expansion, customers and clear business value.