A resilient corporate travel programme does not assume disruption will not happen. It is prepared to respond when it does.
For travel managers, 2026 has provided a useful reminder of how quickly geopolitical developments, climate events, operational disruption and changing travel costs can affect business trips. Recent GBTA research on business travel confidence highlights ongoing concerns around rising travel costs and geopolitical uncertainty as companies plan for 2027.
From Holiday Tours’ experience supporting corporate travel programmes, organisations that respond most effectively to disruption typically share four habits: they plan for scenarios, build flexibility into supplier relationships, treat their TMC as part of the response network, and learn systematically from what 2026 has exposed.
Plan for scenarios, not just disruptions
A travel risk plan should go beyond listing potential threats. Consider what the business would actually do if a geopolitical event affected a key destination. Severe weather disrupted an important route, or a sudden cost increase made an established travel pattern less viable.
For each scenario, identify:
- the trips, destinations or traveller groups most likely to be affected
- the alternative arrangements available
- who has authority to make changes
This does not mean predicting which disruption will happen. It means reducing the time between an event occurring and the business deciding what to do next.
The need for this approach is becoming clearer. International SOS’ 2026 Risk Outlook found that 57% of surveyed leaders said new risks are emerging faster than their organisations can manage them, while 74% said the window for making critical decisions is shrinking. Only 35% of surveyed organisations said they were confident in their ability to mobilise and support teams quickly during disruption. Effective scenario planning helps close that gap before an incident occurs.
Build flexibility into supplier relationships
Resilience also depends on the flexibility available from airlines, hotels, ground transport providers, and other travel suppliers. Look beyond headline rates to:
- change conditions
- cancellation flexibility
- alternative routing
- support during disruption
- access to inventory when demand shifts
Supplier relationships should also be reviewed against the company’s actual travel patterns. A preferred arrangement that worked well in 2026 may need to change if destinations, volumes, or business requirements have shifted for 2027.
Strengthen the TMC as part of the response network
During normal operations, a Travel Management Company (TMC) may primarily support bookings, policy and traveller assistance. During disruption, its role becomes more visible.
A TMC with consolidated visibility across markets can help identify affected travellers, assess alternative routes, and coordinate changes across multiple bookings. This becomes particularly valuable when a disruption affects several employees or destinations at the same time. At Holiday Tours, our partnership with BCD Travel connects Malaysian businesses to a wider international network when that happens.
For travel managers, the priority is to establish escalation procedures before they are needed:
- know who contacts whom
- what information finance or management needs
- where travellers should turn for assistance.
Turn 2026 lessons into 2027 decisions
The most useful preparation for 2027 may already exist in your 2026 travel records.
Review the disruptions your organisation actually experienced:
- Which routes were repeatedly affected?
- How quickly could travellers be rebooked?
- Where did communication break down?
- Which suppliers provide flexibility?
- Were there unexpected costs that could have been anticipated?
Hold this review before year-end, then use the findings to adjust travel policy, supplier arrangements, traveller communications and contingency plans. Our reporting can help consolidate this history into a single view.
The aim is not a policy for every possible scenario. It is to find the weaknesses 2026 exposed and fix them before they recur.
Review cost resilience alongside travel risk
Resilience is not only about safety and disruption. Cost volatility can also affect the ability to maintain a travel programme.
The GBTA and ALTOUR 2027 Global Business Travel Forecast (July 2026) expect airfare growth to slow to 1.5% in 2027 and hotel rates to rise 1.8%. It also warns that prices are unlikely to return to 2025 levels, because aircraft delivery delays, sustainable aviation fuel requirements, labour shortages, and geopolitical uncertainty are expected to keep travel more costly.
Travel managers should therefore review whether their programme has enough flexibility around travel volumes, supplier sourcing and alternative arrangements to respond when costs move unexpectedly.
FAQs
- What makes a corporate travel programme resilient?
A resilient programme has clear response processes, flexible supplier arrangements, reliable traveller support, and the data needed to make decisions when circumstances change.
- Why should companies use scenario planning for corporate travel?
Scenario planning helps teams prepare practical responses to potential geopolitical, climate, operational, or cost disruptions without trying to predict exactly what will happen.
- What should companies review with travel suppliers for 2027?
Review flexibility around changes and cancellations, alternative arrangements, availability during disruption, support, and alignment with the company’s actual travel patterns.
- What should travel managers learn from 2026?
Review actual disruptions, traveller support issues, supplier performance, unexpected costs, and communication gaps, then use those findings to strengthen the 2027 programme.
- What role does a TMC play during travel disruptions?
A TMC can help identify affected travellers, coordinate changes, source alternatives, and provide support across multiple bookings and markets.
How Holiday Tours supports a more resilient CORPORATE travel programme
A resilient travel programme needs support that can adapt when plans change. At Holiday Tours & Travel, we can assist when itineraries need to be revised; travellers require support or disruption affects multiple bookings. Our Travel Safety Promise supports travellers before and during their journeys, while our partnership with BCD Travel provides access to a wider international travel network.
With substantial decades of corporate travel experience, we can help businesses put the right processes and support in place to respond to disruption while keeping traveller safety and business continuity in focus.
KEEP YOUR BUSINESS MOVING WHEN TRAVEL PLANS CHANGE. REACH OUT TO US AT +603 2303 9100 (PRESS 3) OR [email protected]
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