ITB Asia企业差旅圆桌：技术与韧性成为企业出行核心议题

Corporate travel has transitioned from a routine operational expense into a highly scrutinised, strategic discipline, where post-pandemic economic shifts, tighter margins, and rapid technological advancements continue to reshape business mobility.

This is according to panellists on the Corporate Travel Panel: Meeting Corporate Travel Demands: Technology, Experience and Buyer Expectations, at last week’s ITB Asia.

With corporate profit margins tightening globally, business travel is facing rigorous evaluation. Ng Choon Seng, commercial payments & partner markets leader, FCM Travel Asia, elaborated: “Rather than deploying five representatives when two or three would suffice, organisations are actively optimising expenditures to protect profit margins.”

Despite these financial controls, Pom Corpuz, vice president corporate travel consulting APAC, Chase Travel Corporate Solutions, shared that employee satisfaction has emerged as a priority. She said: “While fiscal responsibility remains essential, traveller well-being and satisfaction have become equally critical metrics for modern programmes.”

Meanwhile, Malgorzata Antczak, global travel and T&E manager, McCormick & Company, offered a buyer’s perspective as to how in-person collaboration remains foundational for company culture. “Post-pandemic, our focus has shifted toward essential travel that directly drives business growth and strengthens client relationships.”

To manage these competing demands, artificial intelligence and automated tools have become central to travel operations, serving to augment rather than replace human expertise.

Corpuz said: “Artificial intelligence should not be viewed as a replacement for personnel, but rather as a complementary asset that enhances operational efficiency.”

Highlighting practical applications, Ng added: “Our objective is to automate routine administrative tasks so that professionals can focus on higher-value priorities.”

However, Antczak observed that while digital solutions excel at handling transactional bookings, complex itineraries and executive travel still rely heavily on dedicated human travel agents. This is especially relevant where recent geopolitical tensions and extreme weather events have tested the resilience of corporate travel programmes.

Antczak shared a first-hand account of evacuating employees stranded during the recent Middle East disruptions. She elaborated: “Through robust supplier partnerships, we were successfully able to navigate border restrictions and secure safe passage for our personnel, prioritising human safety above all else.”

Discussing risk mitigation, Ng advised organisations to establish flexible operational structures rather than relying solely on rigid policies, while Antczak pointed out that maintaining real-time communication channels with internal security teams is vital during emergencies.