The Black-And-Blue World Of Online Business Travel

Business travel has taken a terrible beating over the past two years. There are about 10% fewer online business travelers in the US now than in Q1 2008. The 45.7 million people who travel for business have also dramatically changed how they get from point A to point B — and many turn to technologies like videoconferencing as a substitute for taking business trips. And despite business travelers using a variety of digital travel channels to plan and book their trips, many are less than pleased with the process and results of those experiences — threatening the future success of this channel. To help heal business travel's bruises, travel eBusiness professionals should focus on basics, including adopting Forrester's Scenario Design, providing helpful details, incorporating mobile, and incorporating social media.