A survey of 500 business travelers in the U.S. indicates 36% of respondents will spend more time on the road this year than in 1995. The Crowne Plaza Travel Index survey was conducted by Crowne Plaza Inc., Atlanta. The study also found that the average business traveler takes 11 trips per year, and stays an average of four nights per trip. In most instances, increased travel is due to a combination of factors:
- 48% of respondents have more job responsibilities.
- 34% have had an increase of out-of-town clients/business.
- 31% attend more industry events.
- 31% changed to a job that requires more travel.
- 21% cited a need for more face-to-face interaction with clients.
"Recently, there seems to be a return to a more personal way of doing business," says Thomas Arasi, president, Crowne Plaza Hotels and Resorts. "This is driving executives out of town more than ever before, and leading them to turn the hotel room into the 'office away from the office,' while making full use of today's technologies to enhance, rather than replace, traditional forms of communication."
San Francisco was selected by a majority of the survey respondents as the favorite city to visit on business. New York and Washington were next, while Chicago and Boston rounded out the top five choices.
