The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the vital role of the corporate travel manager. Travel managers played a critical - and visible - role developing and communicating policies that balanced employee health against business needs. This gave them an audience with company leaders and stakeholders who until that point only had a vague idea of what the travel program actually did. While company leaders and stakeholders gained newfound appreciation for travel managers, there has been little examination or reflection about who travel managers are and how they themselves view their role. This study aims to fill this gap.
This study examines (1) who travel managers are, (2) how they entered the field, and (3) how they feel about their role and responsibilities today. It is based on a survey of travel managers who are based in the United States, Canada, and Europe, and addresses a number of questions including:
• Compensation: How much compensation do travel managers earn? Do travel managers expect to receive a significant raise this year?
• Demographics: What percentage of travel managers are women? What percentage are underrepresented racial or ethnic minorities? How did travel managers enter the field? How many have previously worked for travel suppliers?
• Career reflections: Are travel managers happy with their career? Would they recommend becoming a travel manager? Do they find their work engaging? If they could go back in time, would they still become a travel manager - or pursue a different path?
• How travel programs are structured - and how this shapes the travel manager’s role: How many travel managers spend all of their time on travel-related issues - and how many have additional responsibilities beyond travel? Are travel managers “jack-of-all trades” who work on a variety of issues - such as hotel RFPs, travel policy design, and implementing technology. Or, do they specialize in specific areas?
The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the vital role of the corporate travel manager. Travel managers played a critical - and visible - role developing and communicating policies that balanced employee health against business needs. This gave them an audience with company leaders and stakeholders who until that point only had a vague idea of what the travel program actually did. While company leaders and stakeholders gained newfound appreciation for travel managers, there has been little examination or reflection about who travel managers are and how they themselves view their role. This study aims to fill this gap.
This study examines (1) who travel managers are, (2) how they entered the field, and (3) how they feel about their role and responsibilities today. It is based on a survey of travel managers who are based in the United States, Canada, and Europe, and addresses a number of questions including:
• Compensation: How much compensation do travel managers earn? Do travel managers expect to receive a significant raise this year?
• Demographics: What percentage of travel managers are women? What percentage are underrepresented racial or ethnic minorities? How did travel managers enter the field? How many have previously worked for travel suppliers?
• Career reflections: Are travel managers happy with their career? Would they recommend becoming a travel manager? Do they find their work engaging? If they could go back in time, would they still become a travel manager - or pursue a different path?
• How travel programs are structured - and how this shapes the travel manager’s role: How many travel managers spend all of their time on travel-related issues - and how many have additional responsibilities beyond travel? Are travel managers “jack-of-all trades” who work on a variety of issues - such as hotel RFPs, travel policy design, and implementing technology. Or, do they specialize in specific areas?
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