With airlines and hoteliers aggressively working to keep the number of empty seats and vacant rooms low, it isn’t taking much growth in travel demand to edge up airfare and hotel prices in most markets around the world, according to the update to the 2013 Industry Forecast from Advito, BCD Travel’s independent consulting unit.

Traveler Management: How to influence your employees to plan, book and travel smarter encourages travel managers to fundamentally change their approach to corporate travel programs, and makes the case that the traditional “command and control” approach to travel management offers fewer opportunities for innovation than building strong relationships with travelers.

In a reflection of global economic uncertainty, demand for business travel is steady but unlikely to grow significantly in the near future, according to the update for the 2013 Industry Forecast from Advito, BCD Travel’s independent consulting unit.

Research The BTN Group conducted for the issue The Frequent Traveler: Finding A Balance yielded some very meaningful results about how business travel buyers and business travelers evaluate company efforts to reduce wear and tear on travelers, increase effectiveness in attracting and retaining talented employees and raise traveler productivity on the road. The research measured the scope and effectiveness of corporate travel policies and traveler behavior. It also examined the use of new technologies used by travelers, expenditures companies reimburse and traveler expectations for travel in the year ahead. This executive summary presents highlights of and key takeaways from those findings.

Advito's 2013 Industry Forecast includes forecasts for air, hotel and ground transportation, key industry developments and their effect on managed travel, the influence of global and regional macroeconomic factors, key tactics for optimizing supplier negotiations, and - new this year - secondary spend and ways to influence travelers on the go.  The forecast also contains special “spotlights” on Middle Eastern airlines, Australian and Indian markets, airline consolidation, ancillary fees and important considerations in hotel negotiations in 2013.

Compiled by BCD Travel road warriors, the Travel App Index includes a list of useful applications proven effective in making life easier for both travel managers and the traveler. Sorted by category type, the index provides a lot of great travel tools at a quick glance.

Corporate travel programs can learn a lot from businesses that market directly to consumers. By harnessing widely available technologies and taking advantage of behaviors ubiquitous among private consumers, corporate travel programs can communicate more effectively with travelers, achieve higher traveler satisfaction levels and even increase leverage with suppliers.

As complexities mount in the managed travel space, progressive companies are transforming travel program paradigms to achieve better-than-policy results, according to this white paper exploring innovations in corporate travel management. Underwritten by Advito and published by Business Travel Media Group, the paper includes extensive commentary and analysis from Advito and BCD Travel thought leaders.

This white paper provides an overview of the opportunities and challenges for managed travel posed by the inexorable and irreversible rise of social Web (user generated content and social networking) and mobile technology. Secondly, it guides travel program stakeholders in leveraging these concepts to serve the evolving needs, constituents and consumers of corporate travel and meetings within the framework of a managed program.

Increasing numbers of corporate travel managers and buyers in the Asia-Pacific region are turning to online booking tools to drive savings, enhance effectiveness and improve compliance.

Merchant fees have become the single-largest distribution cost for airlines, and in recent years, several factors have led air carriers to search for ways to reduce or offset that cost. Unfortunately for corporate travel buyers, any likely move that airlines may take to reduce or offset merchant fees represents an increase in travel program costs.

Travel program managers are increasingly being asked to measure their success against corporate objectives. This white paper by BCD Travel’s consulting unit, Advito, provides travel managers with clear guidelines for directly linking travel program performance with corporate objectives using strategic key performance indicators, or KPIs.

This toolkit features reference material with meaningful answers to key questions around responsible travel management (RTM). It is a comprehensive guide for structured assessment of options and practical tools to address and successfully overcome corporate social responsibility (CSR) challenges.

The white paper explores what consolidation means in the modern travel industry and what companies can hope to achieve from the substantial effort required to consolidate travel policies, suppliers and other program elements on a country, regional or global scale. In addition to defining consolidation and exploring benefits such as cost savings and increased traveler safety, the paper details how to execute a successful consolidation.

Business travel-related risk management is making it to the top of the agenda at the corporate level. Most security and travel managers are aware of these recent developments but unsure how to initiate a successful travel risk management program that does not inhibit corporate mobility. The white paper explains why companies should adopt a systematic, strategic approach to travel risk management – and how to do it.

A BCD Travel Informational Brief

The white paper explores the tensions and complexities that animate the current travel distribution environment. We address most major aspects of distribution costs, including GDS fees, agency incentives, alternative content aggregators and merchant fees.

The white paper outlines the importance of a strategic approach to creating travel programs that integrate with their organizations’ overall Corporate Social Responsibility goals and stakeholder requirements. Responsible Travel Management will incorporate both sustainable and accountable elements.