OAG released a new report, 'The Rise of Alternative Interlining', introducing it as the evolution of virtual interlining, driven by data integration, technology, and airline collaboration. Three trends: declining traveler loyalty, NDC advancements, and expanding connectivity, offering travelers more flexible options.
OAG published Megahubs 2026, ranking the world's most internationally connected airports. Istanbul Airport (IST) takes first place globally for the first time, with connections to 337 destinations; Turkish Airlines operates 80% of flights there. London Heathrow (LHR) moves into second place, though potential connections on the busiest day fell 6% year-on-year, partly reflecting ongoing Middle East schedule disruption. Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS) holds third, and Kuala Lumpur (KUL) retains fourth and remains Asia's most connected airport, with destinations rising to 154. Chicago O'Hare (ORD) rises to fifth, with potential connections up 9.8% and destinations expanding from 297 to 308. Asia Paci…
Amadeus Demand360 data as of December 4, 2025 shows global holiday hotel occupancy up a modest 0.5% from 2024, with room rates up 7% year-on-year. Tromso, Norway tops the list at 93% occupancy, followed by Aruba (89%), Queenstown, New Zealand (86%) and Phu Quoc Island, Vietnam (83%). Curacao saw the biggest year-on-year occupancy increase among the top 10 destinations (11%). Waikoloa, Hawaii achieved the highest average daily rate (ADR) among the top ten most occupied regions at $942; Guanacaste, Costa Rica averaged over $2,600; and Cairns, Australia had the lowest ADR of the top ten at $286. Global hotel revenue over the holiday period is predicted to reach $7.4 billion, with New York alon…
SAP Concur's Global Business Travel Survey polled 700 travel managers across seven markets from April 30 to May 12, 2025. 78% expected their company's 2025 travel budget to increase, versus only 7% expecting a decrease, with Canada at 92%. 69% said budgets do not reflect how important business travel is to success, and 67% said company leaders undervalue their role. 43% of travel managers said they have the most influence over travel program changes, while 41% named the CFO. 99% said their company has updated, is updating, or is considering updating travel policies or training to protect employee data from cyber threats; 99% would be comfortable with travelers using AI for booking, rebookin…
SAP Concur gathered insights from global CFOs on the core skills finance leaders need, including agility and a growth mindset, strategic foresight and data leadership, digital and AI fluency, change management, and communication and collaboration. It also recommends building future-ready finance teams through training, automation, and cross-functional collaboration while addressing the ongoing finance talent shortage.
Amadeus and trend forecasting agency Globetrender released 'Travel Trends 2026,' highlighting six trends based on Amadeus proprietary data: The Pawprint Economy, Travel Mixology, Point-to-Point Precision, Pop Culting, Pick 'n' Stays, and Innovation Tourism. The report covers pet-friendly rail pilots, A321XLR long-range narrowbody jets, AI-driven trip planning, hotel personalization, and innovative destinations like Shenzhen.
Based on interviews with five corporate travel leaders, SAP Concur summarizes 2025 business travel trends and challenges. Economic and regulatory uncertainty led to unpredictable flight and lodging prices in some markets and tighter budgets; organizations used automation and AI to improve spending visibility, with Michigan State University identifying about 500 hotel nights eligible for tax reimbursement using booking and reporting tools. Communication and relationship-building were seen as essential, including collaboration with HR, finance, suppliers and TMCs. Sustainability, virtual payment cards and NDC remained priorities, with virtual cards facing rising costs and digital wallet incom…
Data captured by Amadeus Travel Intelligence on November 19 anticipates U.S. air traffic will increase 4% year-over-year during Thanksgiving week, despite disrupted air traffic operations introducing uncertainty. Phoenix shows the strongest momentum, with departures up 3.4% and arrivals up 10.5% between Nov 25 and Dec 2; Atlanta shows departures up 5.4% and arrivals up 6.3%. On hospitality, seven of the top ten fastest-filling U.S. destinations for Thanksgiving week are in Arizona, Florida or Hawaii; Hawaii resort markets lead with 69% occupancy, more than double the U.S. average. Mid-sized and secondary airports are posting 9% growth in Thanksgiving bookings.
Amadeus reported first nine months 2025 results: group revenue rose 6.4% to €4,895.3 million, up 8.0% at constant currency; adjusted EBIT grew 8.7% to €1,470.6 million; profit rose 10.1% to €1,088.2 million. Air IT Solutions revenue grew 6.5%, Hospitality and Other Solutions 5.8%, and Air Distribution 6.6%. Asia Pacific bookings grew 12.1%. The company maintained its 2025 outlook.
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) published its first ReFuelEU Aviation Annual Technical Report. In 2024, fuel suppliers reported that 0.6% of aviation fuel supplied at EU airports was Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), equivalent to 193 kilotonnes, avoiding around 714 kilotonnes of CO2 emissions. The mandatory target for 2025 is 2%. The average SAF price in 2024 was €2,085/tonne, far above conventional jet fuel at €734/tonne. 25 fuel suppliers provided SAF to 33 airports across 12 Member States, but 5 Member States accounted for 99% of supply. Almost all SAF was biofuel, with 81% from used cooking oil.
The Ministry of Culture and Tourism released domestic tourism market data for the first three quarters of 2025. Domestic residents made 4.998 billion trips, an increase of 761 million or 18.0% year-on-year. Urban residents made 3.789 billion trips, up 15.9%; rural residents made 1.209 billion trips, up 25.0%. Domestic tourism spending reached RMB 4.85 trillion, an increase of RMB 0.50 trillion or 11.5% year-on-year. Urban residents spent RMB 4.05 trillion, up 9.3%; rural residents spent RMB 0.80 trillion, up 24.0%.
The seventh annual SAP Concur Global Business Travel Survey added CFO perspectives, surveying 600 CFOs across six markets. 55% of CFOs expect AI to catch more errors and potential fraud than their teams currently do, while 45% are concerned about more errors and undiscovered fraud slipping through. 9% of CFOs know employees are using AI to attempt to falsify travel expenses or receipts, and 67% say it is at least somewhat likely.
SAP Concur released T&E benchmarking analysis based on its processed data. From 2022 to 2023, airfare spending rose over 18% with bookings up 20%; first class dropped 84%, economy rose 36%, and business class rose 22%. Hotel spend jumped 24% while corporate tool bookings grew only 4.2%. Total meal spend rose 20%, with average meal cost rising slightly from $21.69 to $22.89. Missing receipts climbed 17%, associated spend rose 29%, and expense reports with exceptions increased nearly 10%.
Amadeus released global research, 'Connected Journeys: How Technology Will Transform Travel in the Next Decade'. It found 79% of Singapore respondents would consider using biometric gateways to replace repetitive document and identity checks at key airport touchpoints such as check-in, boarding and immigration, above the global average of 69%. 36% are interested in biometric security to speed up queues, 33% in real-time traffic and arrival updates, and 62% would check luggage from home. 32% would prefer a single 'super app' consolidating travel information; among business travellers, 34% prefer one consolidated app and 32% value smart luggage tracking. Generative AI usage nearly doubled fro…
Amadeus released a global study covering 2,000 UK travellers. Friends and family recommendations remain the top source of inspiration for UK travellers (36%), but generative AI use grew 60% year-on-year, travel influencers 33% and social media ads 27%. AI use grew 146% in China, 82% in Singapore, 64% in Spain, 53% in India and 30% in the US. Among UK travellers, 70% would consider biometrics and 64% would use door-to-door baggage services. 80% agree provider quality emerges in disruption handling, and 81% would rebook with providers who handle disruptions efficiently.
Amadeus released its Connected Journeys: How Technology Will Transform Travel in the Next Decade study, surveying 9,500 travelers across China, France, India, Singapore, Spain, the UK and the USA. Generative AI usage rose 64% year over year; 42% valued time savings, 37% personalized recommendations and 36% discovering new destinations. 64% would pay for an in-trip AI travel assistant, and 17% would pay up to five percent of total trip value. However, 25% encountered outdated or inaccurate AI information and another 25% found AI unable to capture personal preferences. 90% of air travelers reported some anxiety, 69% favored biometric gateways and 66% showed interest in remote baggage check-in.
Amadeus released a global study covering 2,000 US travellers. Social media is now the primary source of travel inspiration, with 34% of US travellers using it, up 21% year-on-year. Generative AI saw the fastest growth, with 17% of US travellers using AI tools, up 30%. 68% of travellers are willing to pay a one-off fee for an AI travel assistant, averaging 5.8% of total trip cost. 61% of Americans favour biometrics at airports.
Amadeus and UN Tourism published the Travel Insights 2025: Focus on the Americas report, based on Amadeus Navigator360 data. From July 2024 to June 2025, air traffic to the Americas rose 1.8% year-on-year, with South America leading regional air capacity growth at 6% and passenger traffic up 5.9%. China is the fastest-growing origin market for South America, with searches up 311% and bookings up 30%. Brazil and the U.S. lead in search activity, while Argentina tops actual travel. Uruguay, Paraguay, and Chile perform well in both searches and bookings, with Paraguay leading booking growth at 9%. Florianopolis, Rio de Janeiro, and Lima remain leading destinations, while nature-focused locatio…
Amadeus and UN Tourism published the Travel Insights 2025: Focus on the Americas report, based on Amadeus Navigator360 data. From July 2024 to June 2025, air traffic to North America grew 1.1% year-on-year. The U.S., Canada, and Mexico remained the top three origin markets, while the UK rose to fourth. China (+7%) and Japan (+4%) were the fastest-growing international origin markets. North America hotel occupancy reached 74% in June 2025, slightly ahead of June 2024; ADR held steady above $160 in most months, with Canada peaking at $187 in June. New York and Los Angeles were the most booked destinations, Orlando rose to third, and Chicago rose to fifth. Nashville (+3%), Calgary (+2%), and D…
Amadeus and UN Tourism released the Travel Insights 2025: Focus on the Americas report, drawing on Amadeus Navigator360 data. Air traffic across the Americas rose 1.8% year on year from July 2024 to June 2025, with South America (+6%) and Central America (+4%) leading capacity expansion. The Americas welcomed 217 million international arrivals in 2024, generating about USD 451 billion in international tourism export revenues including passenger transport. Mexico, Argentina and Colombia ranked among top origin markets, while China and Japan posted the highest search growth to the region at +143% and +32% respectively.
The Travel Insights 2025: Focus on the Americas report by Amadeus and UN Tourism shows Mexico emerging as a leading destination and international air hub. Air traffic across the Americas rose 1.8% year on year, and Mexico's searches grew 22%, ranking it among the top five origin markets. North American hotel occupancy reached 74% by June 2025, with Mexico's ADR under USD 140. Mexico is attracting new long-haul routes from Asia and Latin America, while the U.S. still accounts for over 80% of new air routes in North America.
Amadeus and UN Tourism published the Travel Insights 2025: Focus on the Americas report, based on Amadeus Navigator360 data. Caribbean winter travel peaks from December to March, while Central America passenger demand rose 3.1% year-on-year. Peru (+15%), Argentina (+15%), and Puerto Rico (+9%) lead travel growth to the Caribbean, with search interest surging in China (+427%), Mexico (+47%), and Peru (+46%). In Central America, the U.S. remains the top market but bookings dropped 7%, while China showed a 413% increase in searches. The Caribbean added 177 new air routes, led by the U.S. with 44. Hotel occupancy exceeded 80% in Aruba and Puerto Rico during Q1 2025. Bahamas winter ADR exceeded…
SAP Concur blog post discusses how to measure and maximize ROI from AI investments. It cites the 2024 CFO Insights survey showing 51% of CFOs have embraced AI, up from 15% in August 2023. However, 58% admit limited understanding. Gartner forecasts that by 2025, costs could overshadow returns for 90% of AI projects. The article suggests starting with small wins and considering non-financial impacts.
SAP Concur analyzed international air bookings in Concur Travel from Jan 1 to Jun 30, 2025, comparing with the same period in 2024. Global international business travel volume rose 2.6% year over year in H1 2025, up 4.5% in Q1 and 0.6% in Q2. U.S. business travelers paid the most for international flights at $2,675 per ticket on average; Japanese travelers about $1,950; Italian travelers $719. The U.S. remained the top global destination, accounting for 15.3% of international business trips.
SAP Concur released a Travel and Expense Performance Benchmark Report based on data from the top 25% of customers, segmented by company size. It provides benchmarks for cash spend compliance, non-compliant expense reduction, and audit efficiency, helping businesses identify performance gaps and optimize T&E management.
SAP Concur reviews its four early-2025 predictions for business travel, finance and AI. Slowing inflation made T&E budgets go further, with average transaction amounts flat or slightly down; 89% of travelers, 93% of travel managers and 90% of CFOs expect no budget cuts. AI adoption accelerated, with 57% of finance departments saying general finance tasks are highly automated and 88% of travelers comfortable using AI for some elements. TMC consolidation continued with the Amex GBT-CWT merger; NDC adoption grew slowly amid content fragmentation.
SAP Concur's seventh annual Global Business Travel Survey covered 3,750 business travelers across 24 markets, analyzing differences among Gen Z, millennials, Gen X and baby boomers. 97% are willing to travel for business, but Gen Z and millennials are more likely dissatisfied with current travel frequency. Younger generations more often report company travel cuts and are more open to AI and recommendations; older generations prefer manually sorting options. Air safety concern is similar across generations, 64% for Gen Z versus 52% for boomers.
China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism released H1 2025 domestic tourism data. Based on sample surveys, domestic residents made 3.285 billion trips in H1 2025, up 20.6% year-on-year, with spending of 3.15 trillion yuan, up 15.2%. Urban residents made 2.452 billion trips, while rural residents made 833 million trips.
SAP Concur's seventh annual Global Business Travel Survey found 88% of global business travelers are comfortable using AI-powered automation for some elements of business travel, rising to 94% among U.S. travelers. Gen Z (95%) and millennials (91%) show the highest comfort. 44% are comfortable with AI re-booking before a trip and 39% with AI curating options during initial booking. 67% of CFOs believe employees may use AI to falsify travel expenses, and 55% expect AI approvals to catch more errors and fraud than their teams currently do.
SAP Concur released its seventh annual Global Business Travel Survey, covering 3,750 business travelers across 24 markets, 700 travel managers across seven markets, and 600 CFOs across six markets. The findings show 89% of travelers, 93% of travel managers, and 90% of CFOs expect travel budgets to increase or stay the same this year, yet 69% of travel managers say budgets do not reflect business travel's importance and 81% of CFOs agree budget limits prevent employees from traveling as needed. Meanwhile, 87% of travelers report their company cut back on previously allowed items over the past 12 months, including overnight stays, business class, and non-client travel.
Amadeus and UN Tourism jointly released the Travel Insights 2025: Focus on Europe report, based on Amadeus Navigator360 data. Among the top 30 tourism destinations, Azerbaijan was the fastest growing with a 26% increase in air bookings, while Kazakhstan grew 7% and the Czech Republic 6%. Classic destinations still dominate, with the top ten booked destinations in Europe accounting for 70.9% of all trips from May 2024 to April 2025, led by Spain, the UK, Italy, France, and Germany. Western Europe hotel occupancy rose from 67% to 68%, with ADR increasing from $198.32 to $204.24; Northern Europe occupancy rose from 73% to 75%, with ADR from $197.77 to $200.74. Worldwide passenger traffic to Eu…
SAP Concur released its 2025 CFO Insights report, surveying 350 finance leaders, 115 IT leaders, and 115 HR leaders across eight countries. It found 58% of IT leaders want more regular cross-functional meetings with C-level colleagues; 43% rank phishing and social engineering among their top three vulnerabilities; 57% want finance to prioritize cybersecurity in planning and 51% want higher security budgets; 59% of finance leaders plan to increase cybersecurity budgets. IT leaders also seek CFO support on digital transformation (54%) and IT ROI metrics (43%), and cite conflicting departmental priorities (57%) and unclear roles (49%) as collaboration barriers.
China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism released its 2024 statistical bulletin on May 30, 2025. At end-2024, there were 347,000 culture and tourism units with 4.631 million employees. Domestic trips reached 5.62 billion, up 14.8% year on year, with domestic spending of 5.8 trillion yuan, up 17.1%. Inbound visits totaled 131.902 million, up 60.8%, including 26.94 million foreign visitors, up 95.5%; mainland residents made 122.792 million outbound trips, up 41%. There were 64,616 travel agencies with revenue of 565.77 billion yuan, and 7,716 star-rated hotels with revenue of 155.73 billion yuan, an average room rate of 371.7 yuan per night, and an average occupancy rate of 49.2%.
A SAP Concur blog post aggregates surveys on how finance leaders are responding to tariffs, inflation, and economic uncertainty. It cites data showing 59% of business leaders say tariffs will negatively affect their organizations and 85% say tariffs have affected their planning; just 2 in 5 business leaders came into the year feeling prepared for market disruptions; and 37% of finance leaders cite geopolitical tensions as a top external challenge in 2025, up from 11% last year. It also discusses scenario modeling, AI-driven top-down forecasting, cost pass-through strategies, and supply chain adjustments, citing Gartner data that 48% of CFOs were considering supply chain adjustments.
SAP Concur analyzed 2024 expense transaction data and found higher business travel spending than the previous year. Domestic air travel volume for business trips rose 3% year over year, while international travel volume increased nearly 6%. Total expense transactions increased 13% year over year, with an average transaction of $102. Lodging, ground transportation, and meals saw the highest transaction increases at 17%, 16%, and 13% respectively. Average transaction amounts remained largely flat, with lodging falling from $140 to $136 and air rising from $425 to $438. On average, 15-20% of expense reports contain non-compliant spend.
China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism released Q1 2025 domestic tourism data. Domestic trips reached 1.794 billion, up 26.4% year over year, with urban residents at 1.318 billion trips (+22.4%) and rural residents at 476 million trips (+39.2%). Total domestic tourism spending reached 1.80 trillion yuan, up 18.6%, with urban spending at 1.48 trillion yuan (+14.8%) and rural spending at 0.32 trillion yuan (+39.6%).
SAP Concur released its 2025 CFO Insights report, surveying 350 finance leaders, 115 HR leaders, and 115 IT leaders. 81% of CFOs believe they are the primary drivers of growth. 48% of finance leaders see attracting and retaining talent as one of the most important factors in driving growth. 83% of HR leaders prioritize improving employee experience, but 38% say they lack appropriate resources. 42% of CHROs want to work more closely with finance leaders on compensation and benefits strategies. 99% of HR leaders have updated travel policies, and 51% enhanced travel safety protocols.
A SAP Concur blog post examines corporate social responsibility (CSR) in business travel and expense management. It cites a Morgan Stanley survey in which more than 80% of companies see financial opportunities aligned with sustainability goals and 79% expect higher revenue. SAP Concur's 6th Annual Global Business Travelers Research Report found 27% of employees would decline a business trip due to environmental impact or inability to choose sustainable options. The article also notes 36% of travel managers struggle to meet sustainable travel expectations without adequate budgets, and about 27% of business travelers say their company cut back on allowing them to pay more for sustainable opti…
A SAP Concur blog post summarizes the Accounts Payable Automation Trends research study it sponsored, conducted by The Institute of Financial Operations and Leadership (IFOL). The report shows 52% of AP professionals now spend fewer than ten hours per week processing invoices, down from 62% a year earlier; manual entry of invoices into ERP or accounting systems dropped to 60%, from 85% in 2023. However, 64% of respondents still cite stress from outdated processes as their biggest hurdle, and 40% point to strained vendor relationships. AI adoption remains limited, with only 7% of respondents using AI for spend management, though 40% are considering adoption within the next year.
A SAP Concur blog post summarizes business travel trends and challenges. Research shows 42% of travel managers anticipated company directives to cut travel costs within the year; 88% of travelers reported significant travel disruptions and 74% felt unsafe on a trip; 61% of businesses without integrated travel and expense solutions are likely to move to a connected system within two years; and 34% of travel managers need better training to benefit from AI-powered tools. The article also notes 44% of travelers would refuse a trip over safety concerns, and 95% of travelers are open to using AI-fueled technology for business travel booking.