At this year’s GBTA Media Day, Festive Road unveiled its 2025 Pulse Report. Presented by CEO Caroline Strachan, the report captures the voice of 52 ambitious travel and expense (T&E) leaders, representing $10 billion in spend across 18 industries.
And the message was unmistakable: buyers want better.
- Better alignment with business strategy.
- Better use of technology, data, and time.
- Better performance from suppliers.
The challenges are real, but the ambition across our community is stronger.
The Pulse of the Buyer Community
The 2025 Pulse Report revealed six critical insights — each a pressure point, but also an opportunity for those ready to act:
- Purpose as a compass: Only 1 in 10 programmes have a clear link to business strategy. Without it, travel risks being seen as just a cost line, not a lever for growth.
- Technology’s promise vs. reality: Nearly 90% of buyers call tech critical, but most say their tools fall short. Legacy systems stall progress while digital-first approaches are reshaping the future.
- The time squeeze: More than half of leaders lack capacity for strategy. Ops consume the oxygen, leaving little room for transformation.
- Data as proof of value: Three-quarters want better data to prove impact. Without it, programmes – and sometimes the people who run them – remain vulnerable.
- Partners under the spotlight: Two-thirds say supplier performance is below par. The verdict? Ambition must be matched with delivery.
- Operations overload: 42% spend nearly two-thirds of their time just keeping the wheels turning. Essential, but not enough to drive forward momentum.
Each insight doubles as a call to action: define purpose, demand more from tech, reclaim time, harness data, and rethink partnerships.
What We Heard in the Room
During the announcement, three questions from the media present, cut to the heart of the conversation:
- Why don’t travel managers have more time, even with AI?
The problem isn’t volume, it’s breadth. Our “Digital Travel Manager” pilots show how AI and automation can cut weekly workload – but the real opportunity is reinvesting that time into strategy, not more admin. - What will buyers act on first?
Supplier performance is the tipping point. As Caroline noted: “It’s not enough to be ambitious, you need to be ambitious in an ambitious environment.” Many buyers now have the remit, and the appetite, to take bold action. - Is a Corporate Travel Department (CTD) the answer?
CTDs will remain an option, but the future isn’t binary. Rather than a one-size-fits-all approach, buyers now have the opportunity to innovate, experiment, and build travel models that align with their organisation’s priorities.
A Call to Be Bold
What’s striking this year is not the list of challenges – those are familiar – but the shift in mindset. Buyers are no longer content with “good enough.” They’re asking tougher questions, demanding more from partners, and experimenting with new models and technologies.
At Festive Road, we believe this ambition is exactly what the industry needs. T&E programmes are not back-office functions. Done right, they are strategic levers for talent, growth, and sustainability.
The 2025 Pulse Report shows the pioneers in the buyer community aren’t just keeping pace with change – they’re leading it.
Coming soon: The Pulse 2025 report is just the beginning. Next up: Voice on the Pulse, featuring candid conversations with T&E leaders. Watch this space.
