India’s business travel sector is on a strong upward trajectory, reflecting the country’s economic resilience, digital transformation, and evolving corporate priorities. According to the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) Business Travel Index 2025, India remains one of the top 15 global markets for business travel, with total spending projected to reach USD 43 billion in 2025—a 15% increase over 2024 levels, the highest growth rate among leading global markets.
In this exclusive interaction, Jyothi Varma, Country Manager, GBTA India, discusses the factors driving this resurgence, the role of technology in redefining travel management, the growing focus on sustainability and traveller safety, and GBTA’s plans to empower India’s business travel professionals through education and collaboration.
The business travel sector in India has experienced a steady recovery post-pandemic. What factors have contributed most to this resurgence?
India’s business travel recovery has been both strong and sustained. As reflected in GBTA’s 2025 Business Travel Index, the country’s projected business travel spend of USD 43 billion in 2025 represents a 15% year-on-year increase—the highest among the world’s top 15 business travel markets.
This growth is underpinned by India’s position as one of the fastest-growing large economies globally. Strong domestic consumption, robust government spending, infrastructure expansion, and the resurgence of in-person meetings have all contributed to renewed corporate travel demand. Sectors such as technology, pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, and financial services have been particularly active in driving this rebound.
How has technology transformed corporate travel management in India, particularly in areas like cost optimisation, traveller safety, and booking efficiencies?
The Asia Pacific region, including India, has emerged as a global leader in technology-enabled business travel. Our GBTA BTI revealed that 78% of business travellers in APAC are comfortable using AI-powered platforms for booking and managing trips.
Mobile payment adoption is another defining trend—72% of APAC travellers use mobile wallets, the highest globally, reflecting the rise of digital-first corporate ecosystems. Moreover, 79% of business travellers in the region have access to corporate credit cards, simplifying payment tracking and spend management. These digital tools enhance cost control, streamline policy compliance, and strengthen traveller safety through real-time updates and location tracking.
With sustainability becoming a global priority, how are Indian companies embedding sustainable practices in their travel programs?
There’s a clear shift toward sustainability across India and the broader Asia Pacific region. Government regulations, investor expectations, and customer sentiment are driving companies to act. By the end of 2025, 59% of APAC companies are expected to track their travel-related emissions—double the number from last year.
To support this transition, GBTA has developed a Sustainability Toolkit and offers education programs and collaborative events that connect business travel professionals with sustainability experts and policymakers. The goal is to help companies decarbonise business travel and build more resilient travel programs.
In terms of growth potential, how does India’s business travel market compare with other APAC and global markets?
The Asia Pacific region accounts for over 40% of global business travel spending, and India is one of its key growth engines. With a projected USD 43 billion in business travel spending for 2025, India’s growth rate of 15% far exceeds the global average of 7%, making it the fastest-growing among the top 15 business travel markets worldwide.
This underscores India’s pivotal role in shaping the future of business travel in the Asia Pacific.
What are GBTA’s priorities for India, and how are you strengthening the country’s presence on the global business travel stage?
Building on the success of our APAC conference in Singapore earlier this year, we’re focused on expanding year-round engagement with our members across the Asia Pacific. In India, we’re working closely with our recently established advisory board to deliver locally relevant initiatives and training programs.
A major milestone will be the inaugural GBTA India Business Travel Summit, scheduled for 21 November 2025 in New Delhi, which will bring together business travel professionals, thought leaders, and policymakers to exchange ideas and strategies for the future of travel.
What initiatives or educational programs is GBTA undertaking to develop skills among Indian travel managers?
Our focus is on building professional capacity through tailored education and certification programs. We’re working with members and our India advisory board to design region-specific learning modules, focusing on cost management, sustainability, technology integration, and duty of care.
We’re also facilitating in-person networking and knowledge-sharing events to foster collaboration and peer learning within the Indian corporate travel community.
How have recent global supply chain disruptions affected corporate travel, and what strategies can companies use to mitigate the impact?
According to GBTA’s recent global poll, 34% of travel managers expect fewer trips in 2025, with an average projected decline of 19%, mainly due to policy changes such as tariffs and entry restrictions. In the APAC region, the expected decline is around 12%.
To navigate this uncertainty, companies need to stay flexible—adopting hybrid meeting models, diversifying travel suppliers, and leveraging data-driven insights to adapt travel plans efficiently. Collaboration across the business travel community is key to sustaining growth in this evolving environment.
Risk management and traveller safety have become crucial. How are Indian companies enhancing duty-of-care policies?
Duty of care is now a cornerstone of corporate travel programs in India and across APAC. Businesses are investing in real-time tracking systems, 24/7 assistance platforms, and emergency response protocols to ensure the safety of travelling employees.
Having the right systems and partners in place allows companies to know where their travellers are always and to act quickly to bring them home safely in case of any disruption or incident.
