Of the TMC bookings, 31% of travelers use an external agent while 10% use an internal one.

When it comes to online bookings, 37% of respondents said they self booked online while another 14% use an intranet facility.

The remaining 2% of travelers surveyed book the majority of their trips direct on the day of travel.

But according to a separate Barclaycard survey of future trends, online bookings are forecast to grow to 70% by 2015.

It also predicted that the number of professionals who are required under company policy to book business travel online will grow from 28% in 2004 to around 50%.

It believes this figure will reach a ceiling after 10 years because a proportion of needs will continue to be met by TMCs.

Tim Carlier of Barclaycard Business said: “The popularity of the internet is undeniable, however it will never replace the traditional TMC as it cannot match the level of service.

“Today's professionals are time poor and need to tailor business trips to meet their individual needs. Thanks to the advances in business travel booking, they can choose whether to deal-seek online or utilize the expertise of the TMC whilst also being able to choose from a variety of ticket types.”

Business travel forecasting to 2015 was carried out by the Future Foundation, using its in-house data and Barclaycard Business travel survey date dating back 10 years to when the survey began.


Source: Travel Mole