There has been a large reduction in domestic business travel since the pandemic. Ipsos MORI, on behalf of DfT, conducted an online survey of decision-makers in UK companies that undertook business travel before the COVID-19 pandemic to establish how the COVID-19 pandemic affected domestic business travel, and the expected level of travel post-pandemic.
Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on domestic business travel
Only 35% of businesses that took part in the survey said they had continued to conduct business travel during the pandemic. The pandemic has also seen a reduction in the proportion of employees travelling for business. Before the pandemic, an average (mean) of 40% of staff travelled for business, which reduced to 28% of staff in companies that continued to make business trips during the pandemic.
The frequency of business travel has also reduced. Before the pandemic, 76% of businesses said staff travelling for business did so on average at least monthly, and 40% said they did so at least weekly – this reduced to 62% and 32% respectively amongst companies that continued to make business trips during the pandemic.
The use of the car (private vehicle / hire car / company car) as the main mode for business trips has increased and there has been a reduction in long-distance rail and domestic air travel. The use of private car as the main mode has increased significantly – an average of 43% of trips used car as the main mode during the pandemic, compared to 29% of trips before the pandemic. Use of long-distance and inter-city train services as the main mode decreased significantly, from 15% of trips before the pandemic to 8% during the pandemic. Domestic airline services also decreased significantly, from 14% of trips pre-pandemic to 9% during the pandemic.
Projected demand for business travel after the pandemic
When asked to assume that “COVID-19 is controlled to the point that all restrictions on business and the public have been lifted”, companies anticipate that travel will recover to slightly lower levels than pre-pandemic, with a similar mix of modes:
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Two-fifths (41%) of companies expect to make fewer business trips than before the pandemic (27% somewhat less, 14% far less) and over a quarter (27%) expect to make more business trips (19% somewhat more, 8% far more). Nearly a third (30%) expect to make the same level of business trips.
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Companies expect the proportion of employees travelling for business and their frequency of business travel to return to just below pre-pandemic levels:
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- Companies expect an average of 38% of employees within their companies to be travelling for business (vs 40% before the pandemic). Only 1% said no employees will be travelling for business after the pandemic.
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- A third of companies (34%) expect staff who travel for business to do so on average at least weekly (vs 40% before the pandemic) and 65% at least monthly (vs 76% before the pandemic).
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Assuming restrictions are no longer in place, companies expect to be using a similar mix of main modes as before the pandemic – i.e. a return to long-distance rail and domestic air travel, and a reduction in the proportion of car journeys compared to levels during the pandemic.
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- Companies expect an average (mean) of 33% of trips to use car as the main mode (vs 29% pre-pandemic), 13% using long-distance rail as the main mode (vs 15% pre-pandemic), 11% using domestic airline (vs 14% pre-pandemic).
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- In terms of other modes, companies expect an average (mean) of 10% of trips to use local trains as the main mode (vs 14% pre-pandemic, 11% during the pandemic), 7% using local buses (6% pre, 4% during), 5% using taxi (vs 3% pre, and 5% during), and 3% using other modes including cycling/walking (vs 3% pre and 5% during).
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Virtual meetings – usage and attitudes
- Over nine in ten companies (93%) said they had replaced domestic business trips with virtual meetings during the pandemic – 44% said they had replaced all trips, 41% half or more, 8% less than half, and 7% none.
- Half of companies (50%) agree that meetings that have only virtual attendees are an adequate replacement for face-to-face meetings, whilst over a quarter (28%) disagree and nearly a quarter (23%) neither agree nor disagree.
- Nearly six in ten companies (57%) agree that blended meetings (that have both virtual and face-to-face attendees) are an adequate replacement for face-to-face meetings, one in five (20%) disagree and nearly a quarter (23%) neither agree nor disagree.