By Brian Veloso, Managing Director at SAP Concur
Global travel has shown a significant rebound, with volume nearing pre-pandemic levels. A development, that at SAP Concur, we’ve seen in a rebound in business travel bookings. “Overall, Canadian domestic air travel volume for business trips is up 4 per cent, year over year,” said an executive at SAP Concur Canada. “The return to business travel is driven by business travelers’ enthusiasm. The most recent SAP Concur Global Business Travel Survey revealed that 76 per cent of global business travelers enjoy business travel and 67 per cent feel it’s critical for career advancement.”
To get a sense of the state of business travel, SAP Concur analyzed domestic and international air travel bookings in Concur Travel between January 1, 2024, and December 31, 2024, and compared airfare and overall travel volume to the same timeframe in 2023.
It found:
Year-Over-Year Travel Volume
| Month | Domestic | International |
| January | +9% | +15% |
| February | +8% | +15% |
| March | -7% | -3% |
| April | +11% | +14% |
| May | -1% | +5% |
| June | -5% | -2% |
| July | +14% | +14% |
| August | +5% | +3% |
| September | +8% | +8% |
| October | +5% | +10% |
| November | -2% | +2% |
| December | +12% | +14% |
The above chart reflects the percent difference in total bookings year over year (comparing 2023 and 2024)
- Overall Canadian domestic travel volume is up nearly 4% year over year. January, February, April, and July were popular months for business travel.
- International travel saw a 7.83% increase year-over-year, with significant growth in January, February, April, and December.
- Overall Canadian travel volume increased nearly 8% year over year. International travel volume increased most months in 2024. Like with domestic travel, January (15%), February (15%), April (14%), July (14%), and December (14%)
2024 Travel Volume
- January marked the busiest month for domestic business travel in Canada, as travelers resumed business activities after the holiday season.
- December had the largest year-over-year increase for both domestic and international travel, reflecting renewed confidence in business travel.
- Summer months (June and July) saw contrasting trends, with a drop in domestic airfare demand in June, but a strong rebound in July.
Domestic Airfare
| Month | Average Fare (CAD) | YoY Difference |
| January | $574 | +1% |
| February | $654 | +6% |
| March | $667 | +10% |
| April | $630 | +6% |
| May | $620 | +4% |
| June | $619 | -3% |
| July | $589 | -8% |
| August | $579 | -3% |
| September | $605 | -1% |
| October | $598 | -1% |
| November | $619 | +1% |
| December | $579 | -4% |
