A large majority (85%) of travel managers reported expanding travel budgets, up from 74% in 2025, according to a study from Deloitte called “Keeping Pace With Prices: 2026 Deloitte Corporate Travel Study.”
Among the other findings:
- The share of companies with shrinking budgets dropped from 10% to just 3%.
- Spend is growing at roughly twice the rate of trip volume (spend up 12%, trips up 6%). For many, the added budget is mostly absorbing higher prices rather than funding more travel.
• Growth is not only rarer but also more conservative than in 2025. The average budget increase rate fell from 22% to 14%. Cost pressures show up all over, but flights are attracting more cost-control attention.
• Rising prices have now overtaken employee comfort expectations as the No. 1driver of increased travel spend, according to respondents.
• Unlike 2025, companies are now more likely to mandate lower-cost flights (from 37% to 45%), while the pressure to push travelers into cheaper lodging has actually declined (from 50% to 41%). Comfort is being protected despite cost pressures.
• Per diems and amenities are largely being preserved rather than trimmed. Tech investment is accelerating and apps are helping smooth trip disruption.
• More than 8 in 10 travel managers report active initiatives to improve trip management, wellness and traveler tech, with mobile trip management close behind expense management as a top investment area.
• Travelers who use apps to handle disruption (rebooking flights and changing hotel reservations) report higher satisfaction than those relying on calls or gate agents. Younger travelers see the biggest lift.
• On AI specifically, surveyed buyers are split on where it will matter most, but traveler support and trip planning or booking lead the list, signaling that AI’s impact will likely be felt directly by travelers, not just buried in back-office tools.
