A new study suggests the globalisation of trade will divide travelling executives into two distinct categories. Sheron Crossman looks at what the future has in store By 2020, according to the recently published Future Traveller Tribes discussion document, business travellers will fall into two principal categories – “cosmopolitan commuters” or “global executives”. Cosmopolitan commuters will take advantage of work-time flexibility to live in one country and work in another. Holed up in a pied-a-terre close to the office during the week, they will then commute home to a different region or country at the weekend. Mostly under 40 years of age, they will demand blocks of fully flexible, low-cost air tickets, and will want total travel peace of mind, either to relax on the way home or to plan ahead on the way to work. In essence, global executives will be their bosses. Senior executives, travelling in chauffeur-driven, premium cabin style, they will be cash-rich but time-poor. They will insist upon – and be happy to pay for – hassle-free travel experiences that enable them to work efficiently and effectively at all stages of their multiple journeys. The Future Traveller Tribes study, commissioned by travel technology giant Amadeus and produced by global futures consultancy Henley Centre HeadlightVision, is designed to promote debate about technology's future role in meeting the changing needs of road warriors the world over. For business travellers, the report suggests, key developments will be the reduction and eventual elimination of time wasted at airports, and the ability and freedom to work effectively once they are in the air. The former will require a radical streamlining of the entire ticketing, check-in, security and immigration process; the latter will mean, among many other things, an end to the restrictions on the in-flight use of mobile devices (although cannier carriers may consider introducing ‘quiet zones’ in their premium cabins). And where is the evidence for all this? As far as cosmopolitan commuters are concerned, 63% of respondents to a European survey published by www.personnelzone.com predict a rise in international commuting. In support of this, research by the Recruitment Confidence Index shows 42% of companies have stepped up their international recruitment over the past five years, while yet another study shows 48% of European organisations already espouse flexible working time practices. The forecast rise in the number of global executives is underpinned by the fact that companies are expanding into overseas markets. “The rapid growth in world trade has led
to increasing cross-border traffic in goods, services, and capital,” says the Future Traveller Tribes report. “According to the National Intelligence Council in the US, the world economy is likely to continue growing on account of world trade; it is projected to be 80% larger in 2020 than in 2000. This globalisation of business and politics has driven a growing need for international travel to cement and manage agreements and alliances.” On a smaller scale, those sentiments are reflected in the most recent Barclaycard Business Travel in Business survey. Almost half (44%) of the executives questioned confirm they have been travelling more, and further; and 47% (against only 33% a year earlier), say expansion overseas is the driving factor. “The travellers of tomorrow will demand higher levels of control, comfort, security and personalisation from the travel experience,” says Future Traveller Tribes, “and the growing sophistication of information technology will underpin travel providers’ ability to deliver these expectations, transforming the customer experience.” Frédéric Spagnou, vice president at Amadeus’ Airline Business Group, says: “Currently, major airline systems are, on average, about 20 years old, and they have not invested. They have one set of information when you book, another set of information at the check-in desk, and very often the two don't work well together.” The technology already exists, he says, to integrate antiquated airline systems; to provide digital recognition to replace passports; and to give travellers access to real-time georelevant information. The latter works as both a personal satnav system – providing directions to the relevant boarding gate, for example – and as a ‘digital concierge’, which enables travellers to select and book restaurant tables, event tickets, taxis, golf course tee-times and other ancillary arrangements. “Finally,” the report concludes, “the way in which customers are interacting with technology is developing, and the increasing use of social computing and the growing sophistication of visual technologies may be harnessed to improve the travel experience.” In other words, airlines and other travel suppliers will be able not only to recognise traveller preferences and offer appropriate additional products and services, but also to show them to the travellers they are targeting. “Technology needs to be focused on the humanisation of the airline experience,” says Amadeus’s Spagnou. “For the majority of people, what they want from technology is for it to make the journey easier, quicker, and more personalised.”
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