Travel agencies have always been a key pillar of the business travel industry, as have GDSs. Despite declarations of their decline, they have been able to evolve and adapt. Our Group is working with these players to shape the future of business travel, providing them with new technologies to meet the needs of corporate customers and business travellers alike. As experts, our group is constantly on the lookout to meet the growing needs of these companies, keeping a close eye on market trends. Without ever placing Corporate and TMC in opposition, we leave our customers the choice to define their strategy according to their needs and budget. The absorption of a major business travel player like CWT by Amex GBT has a significant medium-term impact on the market, by restricting the choice of key accounts. However, in the long term, it could pave the way for new entrants. This acquisition underlines the volatility of the business travel market, marked by major technological upheavals, requiring a sharp strategic vision and substantial investment.

And this is precisely where our Group, entity by entity, country by country, is investing to deliver tailored solutions to travel agencies, helping them to optimize their productivity and offer efficient, agile booking, payment, billing and reporting technology solutions to their customers.

Finally, if I were to make a more profound conclusion, our partnership with travel agencies is part of a resolutely optimistic trajectory. We are united in our common quest for strength, growth and unity. Together, we are paving the way for a future of success and expansion, exploring the global aspects of business travel. In this partnership, we harness not only the power of our synergies but also the effectiveness of our collaboration, driving our companies to higher levels of success, where excellence and innovation thrive.

The major changes experienced by Travel Management Companies (TMCs) in 2021, coming out of the pandemic, are clearly not over. At the end of March 2024, the announcement of Amex GBT’s takeover of its competitor CWT sent shockwaves through the business travel community. A few days later, we learned of the purchase of Direct Travel by the ex-founder of Concur, alongside several investment funds. While the acquisitions of 2021 seemed to reflect a search for complementarities (technological or market), GBT’s latest external growth operation illustrates a race for size through the addition of volumes. In the short term, global corporate clients facing a quasi-duopoly are unlikely to benefit. In the medium term, however, we could see the rise of a new international player. What do these movements tell us about the challenges facing TMCs today?

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Business travel agencies: time to make choices