European travel programs more mature than global average; UK signals stronger strategic capacity | News
The CTM Travel Program Maturity Index, which will be launched exclusively at the Business Travel Show Europe next Wednesday, shows that European travel programs are more mature than their global counterparts, with Britain in particular signaling a stronger strategic capacity.
Based on survey responses from 274 global travel managers and a series of qualitative interviews, the Index is a practical framework for understanding the current state of corporate travel programs. It also highlights what capabilities differentiate higher maturity programs and how organizations can evolve from traditionally managed travel to intelligent travel management.
European respondents scored an average of 45.6/100, almost two points above the overall sample benchmark of 43.7/100.
British respondents spend more time on strategy, optimization and planning: 38.9% versus 22.7%.
The report, with independent insights from Temoji Consulting, suggests that the next maturity challenge for the industry is not stronger control, but stronger intelligence: the ability to connect systems, turn data into action, adapt to change and align journeys with broader business outcomes.
For organizations, higher maturity means that travel programs are better equipped to reduce operational burdens, increase traveler confidence, increase stakeholder visibility, and support smarter business decisions.
“The CTM Travel Program Maturity Index shows that business travel programs are evolving from operational management to strategic business enablement,” said Eleanor Noonan, Global COO and UK interim CEO.
“The industry has built a strong foundation around policy, supplier strategy, compliance and cost control. The next opportunity is to build intelligent capabilities that enable travel programs to create more value for the business and the traveler. The future will belong to organizations with the most advanced technology and organizations that can connect data, align stakeholders, reduce operational burden and continuously adapt as business needs change.”
Traveler experience just as important as cost control
The CTM Travel Program Maturity Index also shows that success is no longer solely determined by costs. While cost optimization (62.1%) remains the top priority, the traveler experience (59.3%) is almost as important, indicating that tour leaders are increasingly judged not only on savings and compliance, but also on their ability to create programs that work for the organization and the traveler: the definition of maturity.
Additional key findings included:
The biggest barriers are organizational in nature. Technology limitations, budget constraints, resource shortages, and organizational silos are the main obstacles preventing program progress.
Connected data and intelligence differentiate leading programs. Better-performing programs are more likely to integrate travel data across the business, enabling better decisions, stronger stakeholder value and greater strategic impact.
AI is an accelerator, not the destination. While AI adoption is still in its early stages, the future belongs to intelligent travel programs that use data, technology and automation to improve decisions, traveler outcomes and business performance.
Common behavior of programs with higher maturity
Although mature programs may pursue different objectives, the strongest programs consistently exhibit these common behaviors:
Shift from just cost control to optimizing business results.
Use travel data to inform decisions outside the travel team.
Integrate travel data with financial, HR, risk and operational systems.
Spend more leadership time on strategy and optimization than on problem solving.
Treat suppliers as strategic partners rather than transactional suppliers.
Use technology and automation to improve consistency, visibility and support for travelers.
Connect risk, sustainability and compliance with broader organizational reporting.
Business travel buyers can view the report ahead of wider release, along with a simple assessment to see how their travel program performs on the Maturity Index Scale, exclusively and free of charge from the CTM stand at Business Travel Show Europe (K21) on 24 and 25 June.
The report will be available from early July on the CTM website: https://travelctm.com
The five stages of adulthood
1. Reactive
Travel is fragmented and operationally inconsistent. Visibility is limited, processes vary, and the priority is to create basic control and reduce unmanaged activities.
2. Checked
Core structures are in place, including policies, suppliers, approvals and reporting. The priority is consistency, compliance and operational control.
3. Optimized
The program actively improves performance. Data forms the basis for decisions, supplier performance is assessed, traveler adoption improves and processes become more standardized.
4. Strategic
Travel is aligned with broader business priorities. Reporting goes beyond spend and compliance to include traveler outcomes, supplier value, productivity and risk.
5. Intelligent
The program works through connected systems, integrated data, automation and predictive insights. The priority is continuous optimization through intelligence and integration.
