旅游买家洞察：采购和供应商策略

Travel buyer insights:SOURCING ANDSUPPLIERSTRATEGIES BY BCD TRAVEL RESEARCH & INTELLIGENCE About the survey In this survey, welookat how organizations source and managetheir travel suppliers. We focus on procurement strategies,priorities, key challenges and supplier management trends that The findings are based on an online survey of 132 travel buyersworldwide, conducted in August 2025. Who we surveyed Where they’re based Who we surveyed Travel spend 2025 Over 40% of travel buyersreport increased travel spendin 2025, driven primarily bybusiness growth. Around 30%note a decrease in spend, Travel spend by meetings type Over the last year, travel spend on client meetings rose more significantlycompared to other meeting types. Sourcing priorities Most travel buyers prioritize cost control in their sourcing decisions. Data collection, contract compliance andsupplier consolidation are also in the top-four. Sourcing stakeholders Third-parties for sourcing In addition to travel management, procurement,finance and security departments are most Six in 10 buyers rely on their travel managementcompany (TMC) for support with sourcing, whileroughly three in 10 engage external consultants. Sourcingtasks Cited by over half, contract negotiations and management tops the list of the most time-consuming sourcingtasks. It’s followed by managing Requests for Proposals (RFPs) and monitoring supplier performance. Sourcing challenges Pricing challenges lead the list of travel buyers’ concerns when sourcing travel suppliers: High costs and ratefluctuations are cited by over 40% of respondents. Frequency of contracts negotiation Across supplier categories, hotel agreements stand out for their consistency, with 87% being renewed annually.Airline and car rental contracts tend to be of a longer duration. Cost containment measures Travel buyers use various strategies to lower supplier costs: The common ones include supplier consolidation,renegotiation of existing agreements and the use of re-shopping tools, each adopted by 40-50%. Traveler influence Two-thirds of companies mandate the use of preferred travel suppliers, while one-third prioritize the lowest ratesregardless of supplier status. Tracking contract fulfillment Supplier evaluation The most frequently cited criteria for supplierevaluation is actual cost savings, according to TMC reporting is the primary data source travel buyersrely on to monitor supplier compliance. Pressure from suppliers While over half of buyers experience moderate pressure from travel suppliers facing manageable challenges,a quarter find supplier relationships to be stable and collaborative. Air sourcing strategy In upcoming negotiations with air suppliers, 38% of buyers expect to seek more additional services and 23%anticipate greater flexibility in cancellations and exchanges. Their expectations around air fares are mixed. The impact of airline Two-thirds of travel buyersadmit that airline alliancesand joint ventures affect theirair sourcing decisions, at Hotel sourcing strategy Travel buyers anticipate more flexible hotel cancellation policies, more additional services and increasedsustainability requirements issued to accommodation providers. More buyers expect hotel rates to decline, the Negotiated hotel rates Half of buyers negotiate fixed Last Room Availability (LRA) rates, while approximately one-third secure hotelchainwide agreements. A similar proportion opt for a mix of different rate types. Car rental sourcing strategy In the next round of car rental contract updates, buyers expect to seek wider insurance coverage and extraservices. Some anticipate higher flexibility of cancellation policies and greater focus on sustainability. Sourcing trends Artificial intelligence (AI) is emerging as the leading trend shaping the future of travel sourcing.Other notable trends include multi-year supplier agreements and dynamic pricing, while areas like supplier Use of Artificial Intelligence for sourcing Nearly one in six travel buyers are leveraging AI for sourcing. Among the remaining 80% who haven’t yet adoptedAI, about half are actively exploring its potential and planning future implementations. Examples of AIapplication: Market researchManaging RFP process and evaluatingsupplier proposalsContract drafting and updatesReporting and supplier performance Q: Please describehow you use AIfor travel sourcing andsupplier management. How BCD can help BCD simplifies supplier data throughout the trip lifecycle, empowering travel managers with actionable insightsfor smarter budgeting, stronger compliance, and confident decisions. Real-Time Data Spend Insights Contract Optimization •Identify traveler behavior thatcould be corrected pre-trip•Find opportunities to shift •Prepare for supplier negotiationswith data-backed insights•Model potential savings fromshifting volume or consolidating •Visualize and consolidatesupplier spend•Identify top suppliers by volume