MEDIA RELEASE
I can do it faster, cheaper, better!
Top corporate travel myths debunked
JOHANNESBURG, 24 May 2022 – Booking travel is not rocket science, right? Simply input your destination, pick the best time and price and click ‘book’.
But what happens if you need to change or cancel your booking? If you skipped past the fine print, you might be in for a surprise. That ‘cheap’ fare is usually not as cost-effective as you thought it was. And when you’re faced with a sudden pandemic, a simple booking can become… well, rocket science.
The global pandemic saw an end to unmanaged travel. Travellers and SMEs once so confident in booking their own travel, turned to TMCs for expert service and support. As travel resumes, the question is whether travellers will be keen to revert back to do-it-yourself travel booking.
It might not be the best idea, according to Oz Desai, GM Corporate Traveller, who decided to debunk some of the top myths when it comes to booking business travel.
Myth: My business is too small for a TMC
Often small businesses don’t even consider a TMC because they think they’re too small to use a TMC’s services. Total myth.
Studies show that SMEs actually outspend their corporate counterparts per person when it comes to travel. And it’s not that they’re booking better flights, rentals, or hotels – rather that they’re not able to tap into the buying power of a TMC or benefit from exclusive deals and rates.
A good TMC will match you with the right travel expert in their team, no matter your size or budget. And if you’re growing? A TMC will scale your travel policy as you grow.
If you’re worried about the monthly management fee, we can guarantee that a TMC can deliver significant savings on your travel spend. So much so that you’ll cover the management fee – and then some.
Myth: I can find the cheapest rates by myself
The most stubborn myth of all, according to Desai. Since the beginning of times (and by that we mean: since the start of the Internet), everyone has been a travel expert. Or at least they think they are.
It’s easy to be blinded by seemingly ‘cheap’ rates available online. But – trust us – it’s the bill at the end of your stay that will bring the final verdict. For airlines, this includes change fees if you need to postpone your flight for a last-minute meeting. For hotels, think breakfast, Wi-Fi, parking. All these ‘little’ things add up.
By teaming up with a travel professional like Corporate Traveller, you can piggyback off their global buying power and benefit from reduced rates and special privileges. A travel expert will also know to incorporate these ‘little’ added expenses into your travel policy – or know how to avoid them in the first place.
Travel experts also have a few tricks up their sleeve. A professional consultant can tell you, for example, how far in advance to book your airfare to get the best deal. In 2016 the average client booking through Corporate Traveller saved 28.4% on the cost of a domestic flight when booking 22–30 days in advance, compared with clients who booked just three to seven days before travel.
Myth: It’s faster to ‘quickly’ book my travel myself
Did you know that the average business traveller visits around 38 websites before booking a trip? And – if we can believe a recent study by Phocuswire – business travellers spend 108 hours a year on admin work related to corporate travel — i.e. researching, booking, adjusting, cancelling and expensing travel.
“We promise, we can do it faster,” says Desai. “Where the average traveller needs to browse through 38 websites for a good deal, we have all the information on a single page. We have invested heavily in our technology, so our travel consultants have all the information at one glance. The result: we give you faster quotes and more competitive prices.”
Myth: Managed travel will feel too restrictive
Nobody likes change … until you discover how much easier and better change can make your life, like with managed travel. Managed travel offers a new kind of travel freedom (more time, less stress) when you hand your travel arrangements over to the experts.
If you’re worried you will suddenly be booked into the same characterless hotels across the world because your booking through a travel management company, think again. Corporate Traveller has partnerships with hotels across the world and will offer you a variety of choices. And if you have a favourite little hotel in New York, Paris, or Shanghai, your consultant will look it up, get in touch and book it for you.
Desai concludes that small companies who are used to an unmanaged approach to travel often find that moving towards a blended, more flexible strategy with an agreed framework gives them the peace of mind they need in these changed times.
**ends**
About Corporate Traveller
Corporate Traveller is a division of the Flight Centre Travel Group, dedicated to saving businesses across Southern Africa time and money. Corporate Traveller has the benefit of being part of the world’s third-largest travel retailer, leveraging its global negotiating strength. It has access to over 50 of the world’s leading airlines and deals with more than 100 000 hotels around the world to guarantee savings for clients. Corporate Traveller provides clear, consolidated reporting of all its clients’ travel activities, helping them to control travel spend and identify opportunities to save costs.
Issued by:
Big Ambitions
Dorine Reinstein
dorine@bigambitions.co.za
