“Travel Management Company” backed by companies. - According to the most recent American Express survey, 40% of the 300 European companies questioned, and whose travel budgets vary between €400,000 and €50 million, are still experiencing spending cutbacks in this area this year. This figure stood at 66% last year. There are three times as many companies as in 2009 that say that they will be increasing their spending but they only account for 31% of the sample, whilst 29% say that they will not be changing their budgets in this area. This survey was carried out last September, when the economic recovery was barely detectable and the American Express business travel survey reveals “the importance attached by companies to their business travel agencies”. This observation was made among 296 companies based in 11 countries (Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Denmark, Sweden and Norway). According to American Express, the crisis provoked a violent impact on the business travel sector and created new but sustainable behaviour patterns, as well as new rules in a changed economic environment. Business travel is considered an investment more than ever, as well as a crucial component in developing corporate activity, and the TMC (Travel Management Company) has become the indispensable partner par excellence for helping these companies make their journeys profitable. There is now almost one in two companies (44%) that measures the economic performance of its TMC. This is the second agency evaluation criterion, after quality service. The different firms also attach great importance to cost control and data consolidation. The five main reasons invoked by companies for resorting to the TMC are: 1) assistance 24/24 (70%); 2) online reservation solutions (64%); 3) integration of travel policy into information systems (42%); 4) diagnostics - improvements in purchasing strategies (38%); 5) auditing, analysing and recommendations on workflow (36%). This year, more than 50% of companies also used mobile phones, smart phones and laptops for travelling and indicated that this kind of use would be increasing over the next few months. At the same time, 74% of them declared that they had implemented measures to remain in contact with their work contacts. In the future, the economic recovery expected the 2011 is likely to be accompanied by strong demand in the business travel sector. Constraints on capacity and occupation rates will subsequently lead to a possible increase in air travel prices in Europe (between 4 and 9%) and prices for hotels (between 1% and 6%). European companies questioned last September about their forecasts for the following year, proved cautious and predicted a rise in their travel budgets of around 3%. Similarly to the end of 2009, these companies are now confronting a double challenge: containing their expenses, whilst continuing to be present on the markets in an effort to maintain customer loyalty or win new clients. On average, 34% of these companies envisage an increase in their travelling budgets, 65% no change in them and 11% a budget cut. Again, similarly to 2009, it is the biggest companies (61%), which are counting on increasing their journeys abroad, mainly motivated by the aim of expanding their international business (63% outside Europe). Pronounced disparities exist between the different countries. More than 50% of German and Scandinavian companies are expecting an increase in their travel budgets, followed by Belgium (41%) and the United Kingdom (38%). France is less optimistic (24%) and Spain more measured (13%). (I.L./transl.fl)