Press releases

CEOs travelling further afield for business

Chief executives are travelling 69% further for business purposes this year according to new research out today from Barclaycard Business. CEOs are this year travelling 841 miles per week, a rise of 342 miles on last year. This level of mileage is equivalent to approximately 44,000 miles a year which is nearly twice around the world!

According to the results from the tenth annual Barclaycard Business Travel Survey, 41% of CEOs say that they are travelling more for business this year; just under half (45%) of these attribute the increase to business expansion overseas while around one in five (22%) cite expansion within the UK . The survey also forecasts that over the next 10 years, trade in the UK will become more global and therefore long haul travel will be on the increase.

When asked which three areas they have travelled to over the past year, CEOs revealed the following:

Interestingly one in five (22%) CEOs now believe they are travelling less for business than this time last year. A third (32%) of these are making a concerted effort to improve their work/life balance while two thirds (67%) are turning the trips from business to pleasure by taking partners with them.

The survey also forecasts that over the next 10 years increased technology use will cause a decline in shorter business trips which in turn will reduce the number of days spent away from home. Currently, innovations in technology help over half (51%) of CEOs to do this. Teleconferencing (28%), video-conferencing (25%) and remote access/virtual private networks (26%) are all cited as key influencers.

Tim Carlier of Barclaycard Business comments, "Our study shows that the majority of CEOs are travelling more due to overseas business expansion, so it is no surprise that there is a dramatic increase in miles travelled per week. Despite the majority of CEOs covering greater distances for business travel, the trips they take are less regular than the shorter ones taken in the past."