Business journey in India just isn’t merely rebounding — it’s recalibrating. That was the clear takeaway from the Business Travel Report 2026 launched by Thomas Cook (India) Limited and its group firm SOTC Travel on 25 February 2026.
Based on insights from over 25 main enterprises throughout BFSI, manufacturing, hospitality, healthcare, conglomerates, {and professional} companies — together with inner reserving and transactional knowledge — the report maps how corporates are reshaping journey methods amid rising prices, regulatory pressures, and evolving traveller expectations.
Demand stays resilient
Nearly 65% of corporates count on enterprise journey volumes to rise in 2026, whereas 30% foresee stability. Only 5% anticipate a decline — which means 95% of respondents challenge stable-to-growth spend.
Client conferences, gross sales journey, and inner business-critical motion proceed to dominate demand, reaffirming that in-person engagement stays central to company progress methods.
Domestic journey accounts for 72% of motion, led by Mumbai, Delhi-NCR, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Pune. Internationally, Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong, Maldives, Dubai-Abu Dhabi, UK, Italy, Netherlands, USA, South Africa, and Australia stay key markets, with China and Japan gaining traction.
Technology-led governance gathers tempo
Over 70% of corporates are adopting technology-driven instruments for bookings, approvals, expense administration, and MIS reporting. The emphasis is evident: enhanced visibility, coverage compliance, and data-backed decision-making.
Indiver Rastogi, President & Group Head, Global Business Travel, Thomas Cook (India) and SOTC Travel, mentioned the report highlights “a clear shift towards value-driven programs, accelerated technology adoption and tighter governance.”
For the commerce, this alerts rising demand for built-in platforms, automated workflows, and real-time reporting capabilities — past conventional ticketing companies.
Value over quantity
While value stays vital, 62% of corporates at the moment are prioritising value-led journey choices — balancing security, compliance, reliability, and traveller well-being alongside pricing.
The shift displays mounting value pressures. A pointy 80% of respondents reported elevated Average Ticket Prices over the previous 12 months. Of these, 36% noticed rises exceeding 15%, whereas 45% reported 5–15% will increase.
This has triggered tighter controls, advance reserving mandates, provider renegotiations, and stricter approval processes. Close to 60% of corporations are revisiting journey insurance policies to drive effectivity and offset inflationary and tax pressures.
GST and compliance pressures intensify
GST applicability and enter tax credit score optimisation stay ache factors, with 55% citing compliance challenges — significantly for air journey and resort stays. Corporates are more and more in search of structured invoicing ecosystems and compliant provider networks to scale back monetary leakage.
For TMCs and company journey managers, advisory functionality round tax optimisation is quick changing into as essential as pricing negotiations.
Traveller expertise positive aspects floor
Over 56% of corporates acknowledge rising deal with traveller expertise, flexibility, and responsibility of care — particularly for frequent flyers and senior management.
Interestingly, 68% report an increase in bleisure, with staff extending work journeys for leisure functions. This development is compelling organisations to make clear cost-sharing frameworks and revisit coverage buildings.
The rigidity between governance and adaptability is rising as one of many defining themes of company journey in 2026.
What this implies for the commerce
The report underscores a basic shift: enterprise journey administration is transferring from transactional fulfilment to strategic oversight.
Corporate consumers are demanding:
- Policy-aligned digital ecosystems
- Data transparency
- Cost management mechanisms
- Compliance experience
- Enhanced traveller expertise
In a 12 months marked by rising fares, regulatory scrutiny, and hybrid work realities, India’s enterprise journey sector just isn’t merely increasing — it’s evolving with sharper controls and smarter programs.
For journey administration corporations, the message is unambiguous: scale alone is not going to suffice; structured governance, know-how integration, and advisory depth will outline aggressive benefit in 2026.
Rahul Bhadana is a digital editor at TravTalk with expertise spanning a number of content material niches, with a powerful deal with journey commerce journalism and digital publishing. A graduate of Delhi University, his work covers editorial writing, content material technique and platform-led storytelling, supporting TravTalk’s digital progress and trade engagement. A know-how fanatic, he enjoys movies, poetry and exploring new concepts throughout media and tradition.
