It seems like everyone these days has a different opinion on whether the political situation in the U.S. is affecting business travel growth.
New research from The U.S. Travel Association finds that after an up and down beginning to the year, with growth slowing in three out of the first four months, projections show that solid business travel growth is anticipated for the remainder of 2017. It takes a few months for Oxford Economics to figure this out on behalf of U.S. Travel, so stayed tuned for future updates that reflect more recent data from the Trump era.
At the IATA Annual General Meeting in Cancun this week, as well, international airline executives said that
they have yet to see a significant drop in air bookings as a result of the still-limited electronics ban and general state of political turmoil here.
So against all odds, and despite the doomsaying, the prognosis for increased business travel growth remains positive in the U.S.
We have the latest on hotels experimenting with voice-controlled devices in their guest rooms (do you really want Amazon Alexa listening into your travelers' conversations?) and Sabre's expectation that U.S. airlines won't add a surcharge when passengers book with travel management companies.
There's also a deep dive into the rationale, and ramifications, of Qatar's falling out with several of its Middle East allies. So much for the Middle East as the new great global airline hub network.
Check out all the latest below, and let us know your thoughts on the state of U.S. business travel today.
A final note: You may have noticed our new look this morning.
Read more about it here.