A new report from the education and research arm of the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA),
the GBTA Foundation, has found that premium travellers from developing
countries have taken more international trips in the past 12 months and
expect to take even more over the next year.
The 2012 Premium Business Traveller Study
surveyed premium travellers from ten developing countries around the
world, including Brazil, Argentina, Russia, Israel, Turkey, United Arab
Emirates and India.
Around 40 per cent of travellers say they
took more international trips in the last 12 months than in previous
years, compared to 32 per cent who say they’ve taken less. Looking ahead
to the next 12 months, travellers expect to fly in a premium class of
service more often than they have before.
The study also
revealed that 72 per cent would select one airline over another due to
availability of Wi-Fi, with availability of AC power and mobile phone
capabilities also strong motivators.
“With the global economy
still struggling we decided it made sense to focus this year’s premium
travel study on countries that are still experiencing rapid growth,”
says Senior Director of Research at GBTA Foundation, Michael W.
McCormick. “As the business travel landscape becomes more global,
airlines, hotels and travel suppliers must be ready to serve the needs
of this influx of customers from developing countries.”
MD of
Boeing’s Airline Marketing Services, Jeff Cacy, says: “We are delighted
to partner with the GBTA Foundation on this research to identify flying
preferences by global travellers. The data gathered gives airlines
access to trend and needs based directly on passenger feedback.”
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