Business travel represents a substantial force in the global economy. Just before the Covid-19 pandemic hit, it contributed to more than USD 1.2 trillion, about 25 percent of the travel and tourism sector’s overall economic impact, to the global GDP. Businesses had resumed spending on travel after substantial declines in 2008 and 2009.

A research by Global Business Travel Association Foundation had found that for every one percent change in business travel spending, the US economy typically gains or loses 74,000 jobs, USD 5.5 billion in GDP, USD 3.3 billion in wages and USD 1.3 billion in taxes. The report also stated that personal vehicle (35 percent) was the most popular mode of transportation among US business travellers in 2016, followed by airplane (28 percent) and rental cars (13 percent).

Internal travel encompasses trips taken for intracompany purposes, where employees participate in activities such as training, team building or inspection of field operations. External travel, on the other hand, refers to travel done by employees for engagements outside the company, including in-person meetings with clients and suppliers, trade conferences and customer sales calls.

"Obstacles to business travel, such as cumbersome visa protocols and long flight connections, constrain access to knowhow and limit growth opportunities, especially in developing countries," said Frank Neffke, research director at Harvard Kennedy School’s Growth Lab.

Benefits Of Business Travel

In the past, companies have experienced that, on average, 40 percent of customers would eventually be lost without in-person meetings and support.

Detailed statistical modelling over 18 years and 14 industries indicates that for every dollar invested in business travel, US companies make a USD 9.50 return in terms of revenue. The modelling also found that US business travel has yielded USD 2.90 in profits for every dollar spent.

There is a small segment of employees for whom travel is deemed essential for conducting business. This category accounted for around 15 percent of all corporate travel expenses in 2019 and includes decision makers in manufacturing companies with a wide distribution of factories and plants, and field-operation workers. For some corporate travellers, it is possible to move oversight responsibility to local personnel and/or utilise digital medium. This segment will see their business travel decline. A large segment of business travel is done to cultivate new or important client relationships. This segment will bounce back as soon as Covid-related restrictions are lifted.

A tiny portion of business travel comes from the public sector, professional associations and nonprofits. During the pandemic, many professional associations were able to hold virtual events to replace in-person conferences and will likely be more cautious in their return to travel.

Business Travel Catches The Virus!

Business travel has taken a big hit during the Covid-19 pandemic and its future is still up-in-the-air, waiting for the end of the pandemic and firming up the ‘New Normal’. In 2020, total global business travel expenses contracted by 52 percent, while managed corporate-travel spending in the United States alone plummeted by USD 94 billion (71 percent).

The World Travel and Tourism Council’s (WTTC) latest annual research shows that the global travel and tourism sector suffered a loss of almost USD 4.5 trillion to reach USD 4.7 trillion in 2020, with its contribution to GDP dropping by a staggering 49.1 percent compared to 2019. In 2020, sixty-two million jobs were lost, representing a drop of 18.5 percent, leaving just 272 million employed across this sector globally, compared to 334 million in 2019. The threat of job losses persists as many jobs are currently supported by government retention schemes and reduced hours, which could be lost without a full recovery of the travel and tourism sector.

Some business travellers expect to take at least as many business trips in 2022 as they had in the year before the Covid-19 pandemic was declared. While teleconferencing will reduce the need for some business travel, many survey respondents cited the need to meet in-person to rekindle relationships with customers, suppliers and business partners. Another frequent reason cited for the need to travel for business was a job change.

The countries most eager to travel for business once Covid-19 travel restrictions are lifted seem to be China, US and Australia. Of course, the potential increase in Covid cases from the Delta and future variants of the virus may still cause further backsliding on rising confidence levels for resumption of business travel. (TT)

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TyreSafe and Good Egg Safety CIC have formed a major national partnership to tackle child seat misuse and vehicle safety together. The collaboration unites the UK’s leading child seat safety organisation with the country’s road safety charity, creating a pioneering programme designed to address both risks at scale. Following a planned pilot with Bradford City Council’s Road Safety Team, the initiative will roll out joint child seat and tyre safety check clinics across the UK using a data-led approach that reflects real-world road risks.

Good Egg Safety’s evidence, drawn from over 45,000 child seat checks, shows that more than 60 percent of child restraints are incorrectly fitted or incompatible, with many involving serious errors that could lead to life-changing or fatal injuries. Simultaneously, unroadworthy or illegal tyres remain a critical but often overlooked factor in many collisions. The partnership directly confronts both hazards by protecting children inside the vehicle while ensuring the vehicle itself is safe for emergency manoeuvres.

Good Egg Safety is known for its government-funded Advanced Child Seat Training Programme, which has accredited hundreds of professionals from police, fire and rescue, public health and local authorities. Unlike awareness-only campaigns, its evidence-based and behaviour-led approach has produced average knowledge increases of over 500 percent among professionals and up to 96 percent retention at six months. The new partnership extends this impact into real-world intervention and prevention.

Joint clinics will offer expert child seat checks, identification of high-risk installations, tyre safety inspections including tread depth and pressure and practical pre-journey advice. This whole-vehicle safety model aligns with the UK’s Safe System approach. The partnership will be showcased at the TyreSafe National Briefing in June 2026 and the Road Safety GB National Conference in November 2026, where early findings and national rollout plans will be presented. By combining training, community engagement and hands-on checks, the programme provides one of the most scalable and effective interventions available to protect children on UK roads.

Stuart Lovatt, Chair of Tyresafe, said, “This partnership with Good Egg Safety CIC represents a significant step forward in our shared ambition to reduce avoidable road casualties. By combining expertise in child seat safety with tyre safety checks, we are addressing two critical but often disconnected risk factors in a practical, evidence-led way. The planned pilot in Bradford, followed by national rollout, will allow us to better understand real-world vehicle safety issues and intervene directly with families at the point of need. Working together in this way strengthens the Safe System approach and has the potential to make a measurable difference in saving lives and reducing incidents on UK roads.”

Janis James MBE, CEO, Good Egg Safety CIC, said, “For too long, road safety messaging has treated risks in isolation. In reality, a correctly fitted child seat cannot compensate for a vehicle that cannot stop safely – and safe tyres cannot protect a child who is incorrectly restrained. This partnership is about bringing those two critical elements together in a way that is practical, evidence-led and capable of saving lives at scale.”

Alison Lowe OBE, Chair of the West Yorkshire Vision Zero Board, said, “The fact that two thirds of children are at risk travelling in unsafe seats is deeply troubling. Being a nana myself, I made sure to make use of the Good Egg Safety service and I am very glad that I did. We have worked with them for a number of years to run child car seat checking events. I am pleased to say that another 50 sessions will be taking place over the coming months in West Yorkshire as part of our work to reduce road deaths and serious injury to zero by 2040.”

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The Alliance for the Future of Tires (AZuR) is set to publicly unveil new survey findings on 10 June at THE TIRE COLOGNE 2026, located in Hall 7.1 at booth C031 B038. The data reveals a European retreading industry in distress, with three-quarters of international survey respondents characterising the current situation as either critical or declining. Cheap new tyre imports are cited as the primary driver of mounting price pressure.

Conducted in spring 2026 among European tyre and retreading firms and experts, the survey aimed to assess real-world market conditions, success factors and political hurdles. Results show a deeply contradictory landscape: while retreading is acknowledged as a key circular economy technology for climate and resource protection, cheap imports, high energy costs and weak policy support are squeezing businesses. Nearly half of participants describe the industry as under severe pressure, with German players notably pessimistic, though a few see a growing market.

Respondents still see major potential through lower total cost of ownership, high casing quality and closer cooperation among fleets, retailers and retreaders. Cost-per-kilometre models, professional tyre management and transparent environmental, social and governance documentation are highlighted as crucial future strategies to prove economic and environmental benefits.

A strong political appeal emerged, with 88 percent of participants urging green procurement and more public funding. They call for binding sustainability criteria in public tenders, improved regulations and equal treatment of retreaded tyres in European ESG and taxonomy systems. France and Scandinavia are cited as models due to their eco-taxes and national circular economy collaborations. The full results will be discussed at AZuR’s event ‘The Future is retreaded!’ on 10 June at THE TIRE COLOGNE.

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Superteam Wheels, a prominent Chinese manufacturer of carbon fibre bicycle wheelsets, has introduced a new flagship carbon fibre wheelset, the Ultra SL SE, designed to resolve the performance trade-offs faced by road cyclists. Riders have long been forced to choose between lightweight designs lacking stiffness or rigid wheelsets too heavy for long distances. The new model integrates mature Chinese manufacturing with DT180 hubs, carbon spokes and aerodynamic optimisation for professional racing, training and casual riding.

Unlike single-function wheelsets, the Ultra SL SE is engineered for full-scenario adaptability. Weighing only 1,210 grammes, the wheelset achieves a lightweight breakthrough without compromising rigidity. The DT180 hubs enable direct power transmission for sprinting, climbing or cruising. The wheelset adapts seamlessly to flat roads, rolling terrain and climbs.

Compared to the classic H2 model, the Ultra SL SE brings three major upgrades: lighter weight, DT180 hubs and a redesigned circular rim. It retains H2’s stiffness and shark fin bionic aerodynamics. At 40 kmph, wind resistance drops by 17.62 percent.

The 51-millimetre front rim and 48-millimetre rear rim create a three-millimetre difference. The higher front rim enhances stability and resists crosswinds, while the lower rear rim reduces drag. This design balances controllability and aerodynamics.

Superteam selected DT180 hubs for their precision and low rolling resistance, combined with carbon spokes. The Ultra SL SE delivers professional race-level performance at a friendly cost, offering lightweight portability, rigid power transmission and all-scenario adaptability.

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Falken has advanced to the final round of the first-ever Service Award, a new distinction created by the Federal Association of Tyre Retailers and Tyre Repairers (BRV) based in Bonn. As a brand operating under Dunlop Tyre Europe GmbH, Falken now competes alongside two other undisclosed nominees for a prize designed to highlight outstanding trust-based partnerships and superior service within the passenger car and light commercial vehicle tyre sector.

A comprehensive survey of over 250 BRV member companies drove the selection process. Between early March and mid-April, participating retailers cast online votes evaluating criteria such as on-time delivery reliability, logistics and ordering efficiency, commercial terms, customer service responsiveness and the quality of sales, marketing and training support. The results placed Falken among the three finalists, signalling strong approval from the specialist tyre trade.

The eventual winner will be revealed on 8 June 2026 at a ceremony held during the BRV General Meeting in Cologne. That announcement will formally close the inaugural competition, with Falken remaining in contention for the top honour.

Thomas Langer, Sales Director Germany, Dunlop Tyre Europe GmbH, said, “Being nominated for the BRV Service Award means a great deal as it is decided by the specialist tyre trade. It confirms our commitment to offering Falken partners not only reliable and safe products, but above all, dependable service, tailored support and a genuine partnership-based collaboration. This feedback motivates the whole team to remain focussed on serving our loyal customer base.”

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