BCD Travel has released its Travel Market Report dedicated to a 2026 Outlook on key risks and solutions, updates on the state of air travel pricing, hotel room rates and car rentals, and a summary of important sustainability trends. Key highlights from the report for corporate travel programmes to consider include:
Risks and mitigation strategies
In 2026, Oxford Economics believes the world may face its weakest economic growth since 2009 (excluding 2020), hovering at 2.6%. Inflation is expected to ease only slowly, averaging above 3%.
In addition to this economic fragility, a broad range of risks may further compound the efforts of organisations to keep their business travellers safe and operations flowing smoothly. The primary six risks to consider are extreme weather, regional tensions and ongoing conflicts, changing border policies, the rise of cyberattacks and misinformation arising from the use of AI, the continuing threat of illnesses and disease, and limited options for accommodations and ground transportation during large scale events.
“In today’s travel landscape, organisations face unprecedented challenges. But travel managers don’t have to face these alone,” said Jorge Mesa (pictured), senior director of Travel Risk Management at BCD. He recommended his company’s Traveler Security Program Assessment., with real-time incident and destination intelligence and traveller response capabilities designed to help clients stay ahead of these disruptions by providing proactive strategies and advanced travel risk technologies.
“Our goal is to ensure business travellers remain safe and operations run smoothly, even in times of uncertainty,” Mesa added.
Airfares
Overall, global airfares should see only limited inflation, primarily stimulated by the intercontinental air travel market as opposed to regional travel. Globally, average ticket prices (ATPs) should rise by only 1.1% in 2026, the BCD report noted, reflecting weak airfares inflation in North America especially.
ATP increases in other regions should be above the global average, with the strongest inflation likely in Africa and Asia, at 2.5% and 2.0%, respectively. In addition to airfare changes, trends for travel buyers to keep in mind include a reduction in value of airline corporate contracts, rising airline fuel surcharges, blanket NDC offerings, and continued travel programme leakage.
Hotel rates and car rentals
Global hotel rates are forecasted to increase by 4.9% in average daily rates (ADRs). There are many variables behind the variation in rates in different regions, from rising staffing and labor costs in Turkey to robust leisure demand in Japan.
Aggregate figures for rate inflation in Africa, Asia and Europe should all lie within a narrow 4-6% range; the strongest rate inflation is expected across the Middle East at 8%. Hotels in Latin America are expected to average 6.4% in 2026. Rate inflation is likely to be weakest in the Southwest Pacific and North America, at 2.6% and 2.2%, respectively.
“With global hotel rates projected to rise nearly 5%, travel managers and buyers need proactive measures to control costs,” said Miriam Moscovici, vice-president of product planning and intelligence at BCD.
Car rental rates will generally continue to rise for corporate customers. A mix of aspects are contributing to this increase, including car rental companies’ acquisition and repair costs, city surcharges and higher parking rates. Corporate travellers are being forced to consider alternative options such as ride-hailing and taxis.
In general, BCD expects rate increases in 2026 to be slightly lower than in 2025, sitting in a 2-4% range.
Sustainability
BCD believes that accountability over sustainability will dominate the agenda as companies move from pledges to measurable action. According to GBTA’s latest benchmark, only 9% of companies apply carbon fees and 15% are investing in sustainable aviation fuel.
BCD is promoting its own Sustainability Solution which claims to offer an end-to-end ecosystem that enables credible emissions reporting, traveller engagement, and investment in decarbonisation, all without disrupting operations.
“The GBTA findings show that while companies are committed to sustainable travel, progress in critical areas is lagging,” said Olivia Ruggles-Brise, vice-president of sustainability at BCD and GBTA Climate Leader. “Closing this gap requires practical solutions that make sustainability achievable without disrupting business.”
For more information and region-specific forecasts from the 2026 Outlook, download the full Travel Market Report.