The business travel sector is undergoing a profound transformation. Between January 1 and November 1, 2026, VB Corporate Travel has recorded a growth in its turnover of more than 27% compared to the same period in 2025. However, the volume of managed services has advanced at a more moderate pace due to a notable increase in the average prices for transportation and accommodation, a phenomenon that had already been observed in previous years. In this scenario, companies maintain their commitment to professional travel, but under strict budget control and a greater demand for profitability.
Agility, live data and predictive analytics
According to Jorge Espídos, founder and CEO of VB Group, companies today prioritize operational agility to make decisions quickly. To achieve this, they consider it essential to have access to live data to monitor billing, travel and incidents at all times. Likewise, they demand predictive models that facilitate their strategic planning. At the execution level, organizations ask for flexibility and 24/7 availability, combining personalized offline support with online tools adapted to their work model.
The modal transfer: the plane gains share over the railway
In geographical mobility, the bulk of corporate travel continues to be national and is concentrated in large cities such as Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Seville, Malaga and Bilbao. The most significant change in 2026 is in the means of transportation. While until 2025 the train was steadily gaining ground, Problems in railway infrastructure, uncertainty in schedules and serious accidents have caused a loss of quota in favor of the plane. Commercial aviation is growing again in the short haul, attracting travelers whose main priority is certainty of arrival time.
Longer stays
This shift has transformed the typology of business travel. The traditional round trip during the day working by train is disappearing in many cases, being replaced by trips lasting one or two nights, more thoughtful and with more content. In the hotel sector, cities like Barcelona register a lower influx of individual travelers but a greater number of overnight stays per stay. At the international level, Europe concentrates most of the displacements, Latin America gains prominence and the Middle East loses weight due to the geopolitical context.
Source: www.eleconomista.es
