Company News

BUSINESS TRAVEL BOOKINGS INCREASE OVER 2009

JENKINTOWN, PA, September 2010 - Business travelers are once again returning to the skies in a marked improvement over 2009, according to  TLG Travel, which provides travel management counsel to companies. That compares with Travel Leaders national results in which 63.2% of business-focused travel experts indicated their business travel bookings are higher than this time last year.

“Since September of 2008, there was a pronounced decline in business travel throughout the United States, but we’ve seen a robust increase in business travel bookings ,” noted Bonni Simon, President of The Leaders Group (TLG) Travel. “In our conversations with business clients, they are telling us that nothing can replace the quality of in-person, face-to-face meetings that only business travel can facilitate. As such, we’re very optimistic that we’ll see further growth throughout the next year. Fortunately for those businesses that are still seeking to rein in travel spending, we have the ability to help them maximize every single dollar spent.”

Nationally, Travel Leaders conducted a survey of its business travel experts, August 3-30, 2010. With sales of over $6 billion last year, Travel Leaders Group not only ranks as the top corporate travel management company by Business Travel News, but it is also among the top ten travel companies on the 2010 Travel Weekly Power List and is one of the top five with a retail presence.

Business Travel Compared to 2009:
Simon said that business travel was up by 20% over the same period last year. Nationally, when Travel Leaders experts were asked: “Is business travel on the rebound compared to this time last year?” the majority – 63.2% – indicated that business travel bookings are up over 2009.

Business Travel Compared to 2008:
Simon said that business travel was about even over the same period two years ago – immediately before the economy fell sharply. Nationally, when Travel Leaders experts were asked: “Is business travel on the rebound compared to this time two years ago?” a majority – 53.9% – indicated that business travel bookings were either on par with or up over this time in 2008.

According to Simon, the overall national survey, conducted August 3-30, 2010, includes information from 415 Travel Leaders agents, managers and owners from across the U.S. The specific business travel questions were completed by 163 predominantly business travel-related agents, managers and owners.

The Leaders Group Travel Management custom tailors corporate travel programs for corporations with travel budgets from $100,000 to $10 million.  Clients include companies in industries such as pharmaceutical, medical, engineering, banking and financial, sports and entertainment, colleges and universities, construction, and real estate management.  With offices and affiliations throughout the United States, TLG Travel presently serves over 500 corporate clients. 

Travel Leaders is transforming travel with a new name that boldly embodies our commitment to our vacation and business travel clients via a progressive approach toward each unique travel experience. As one of America’s top ten-ranked travel companies, Travel Leaders has assisted millions of travelers through our strong roots – the former Carlson Wagonlit Travel Associates, TraveLeaders and Tzell Travel Group joined together in 2008 to form one of the industry’s fastest-growing and robust networks of travel agents. Travel Leaders Franchise Group can trace its beginnings to 1984 as the Carlson franchise system “Ask Mr. Foster Travel,” which itself was North America’s first travel agency chain established in 1888.

To learn more about The Leaders Group Travel Management, visit www.theleadersgroup.com.