The new generation of Millennial and Gen Z professionals is fueling heightened travel demand, so how can your business engage?
The rise of Gen Z in the workplace goes hand-in-hand with the ebb and flow of global business travel demand. An enthusiasm for new experiences, high rates of tech adoption and the desire for a better work-life balance has ignited a new generation of digital-native business travellers, and their decisions are shaping the future of the industry.
With nine out of ten Gen Z workers reporting that travel enhances their job satisfaction, and three-fifths planning to spend more time travelling for business in 2025, it’s clear that this generation is taking the lead in global travel demand. And all signs point to the business travel industry entering a new era of cautious growth. In fact, the GBTA estimates that worldwide business travel spending will reach a new historic high of $1.57 trillion USD by the end of 2025.
Alongside this potential for growth, the Deloitte 2025 Travel Industry Report notes the rise of “laptop luggers,” employees who blend work and travel.
For businesses, the central question is how to harness this collective momentum to best cater to Millennial and Gen Z travellers? Success will be determined by how well you can adapt your strategies to engage employees, using a tech-forward, people-first approach.
By 2030, Generation Z and Millennials will make up 74% of the global workforce. And nearly a third (30%) of these workers will be Gen Z, born between the years of 1997 and 2012 and raised in an era of rapid tech development. It’s important to provide a seamless business travel experience to meet these expectations.
As Gen Z places a higher priority on personal growth and gaining new experiences, flexible business travel is a powerful tool for talent acquisition and engagement. Let’s dive into this generational mindset below.
Easily manage and book team travel in one place for better cost control
Gen Z workers are less likely than others to consider work as part of their personal identity, and when they do it’s framed with personal growth.
A Deloitte study compared attitudes between 2000 Gen Z workers and their older bosses (with generations evenly distributed across Millennials, Gen X, and Baby Boomers). It showed that just 61% of Gen Z felt that work was a significant part of their identity, compared to 86% of their Gen X, Millennial, and Boomer bosses.
For both Gen Z and Millennials, data also reveals a clear intersection between positive mental well-being and purpose-driven work:
By contrast, Baby Boomers were born into families that navigated the upheaval of WWII and the Great Depression, and as such prioritise long-term financial security - a sense of greater purpose takes a backseat to title, prestige and retirement benefits.
A healthy work-life balance is non-negotiable for Gen Z. When asked how they would prefer to be recognised or rewarded at work, time off was rated as the top compensation priority. Employees surveyed revealed that this is due to a desire to recharge and reconnect with personal passions after intensive work projects.
Business travel is also a powerful motivator for Gen Z workers, who see trips as a way to recharge alongside performing their duties. Incentive travel is an enticing reward for younger generations, and as such the Incentive Research Foundation (IRF) finds that 67% of incentive professionals are rethinking their approach to incentive travel to better meet the needs of Gen Z with integrated technology, microevents, and video content.
Millennial and Gen Z workers hold similar values when it comes to flexibility in the workplace, preferring flexible hours and hybrid or remote positions. According to McKinsey’s The Gen Z Equation, both Gen Z and Millennial workers rank workplace flexibility as the top reason to stay within a job. By contrast, Gen X and Boomer workers rated compensation as the determining factor – illustrating this shift in mindset.
When asked to rate how they choose a travel destination, Gen Z listed a desire to experience somewhere new as the number one priority. By contrast, Gen X ranked “visiting new places” in eighth place, behind other practical factors like cost and accommodation quality. This illustrates the generational divide driving the current boom in bleisure. When given the chance, Gen Z workers prefer to spend time exploring new destinations in tandem with their professional duties.
Yet it’s not just Gen Z embracing blended travel; professionals of all ages are now seeking ways to combine work with leisure, enabled by new options for hybrid and remote working.
A recent survey found that 79% of US and UK travellers have employers allowing them to work remotely, and 66% actively combine business trips with personal leisure.
To find out more about this trend, our previous Rise of Bleisure Travel report explores the shifting attitudes to blended trips. We found that:
It’s clear that one of the best ways to engage with the new generation is through business travel opportunities, developing flexible policies that blend a hybrid working model with opportunities for leisure. But to attract and retain talent, it’s important to understand that Gen Z doesn’t just want an escape – they want opportunities that blend purpose and personal growth.
Along with this flexibility and freedom, today’s business travellers also crave the safety net of employer support. Gen Z came of age immersed in digital technology that amplifies awareness of global issues like climate change, inequality and political instability. As a result, Oxford Brookes University research finds that compared to other generations, they’re more prone to business travel anxiety and workplace stress.
You can mitigate Gen Z travel anxiety with clear safety protocols and responsive support. A well-written travel policy eliminates many of the anxiety-producing unknowns of business travel. Provide travellers with a list of emergency contacts back at the home office, localised resources for assistance, and portals to manage their own itineraries. You can also guide them towards anxiety management apps to use on the road, such as tools like BetterHelp and Calm. This demonstrates your company’s commitment to traveller well-being, a core factor in job satisfaction and talent retention for the new generation.
Along with growing business travel demand comes the need for modern travel platforms that deliver the seamless, intuitive experience that Gen Z expects. This starts at the planning stages, with AI-powered algorithms using data from past trips, browsing histories and traveller preferences to create personalised itineraries. From real-time translation apps to automated expense management tools, technology is baked into every stage of business travel. But how frequently does Gen Z engage with these tools?
Manage the team and expenses in one place, save money, earn Genius rewards
As professionals seek tech-driven efficiency and flexibility in the workplace, AI technology has emerged as a frontrunner in this space. Among those already using GenAI at work, 77% of Gen Zs and 79% of Millennials report it helps improve their work/life balance by maximising productivity.
This efficiency carries over into itinerary planning. In fact, our insights into Business Travel and AI found that 80% of respondents are now relying on AI tools while planning for and during a trip. And among business travellers surveyed:
It’s clear from the numbers above that today’s business travellers are not only placing their trust in AI travel planning tools; they’re also trusting the technology to keep them safe.
For businesses, optimising the resurgence in business travel demand means working together with the technologies that enable intelligence-led safety measures. Gen Z travellers, as digital natives, are naturally tech-savvy, comfortable using apps to plan and navigate business travel itineraries. We can see the effects in the travel industry, where the percentage of travellers using e-visas doubled between 2018 and 2023 alone, going from 9% to 18%. From automated e-gates to biometric passport controls, digital tools are already making the international travel experience more convenient and secure.
Yet alongside this growth comes new challenges for security experts. Airports have shown vulnerabilities to cyber-attacks and vulnerabilities as they update legacy systems.
Going forward, businesses must balance innovation with resilience to keep travelling employees safe. Tripeden.com for Business streamlines the travel management process, giving employees the autonomy and flexibility they expect to book their own trips. In partnership with Traxo, it also improves traveller safety with a map showing the real-time location and itinerary of individual employees. That means you’ll be able to help employees whenever they need it, anywhere in the world.
In a world with economic and geopolitical uncertainty, supporting your travelling team becomes increasingly complex. Political factors affecting tourism trickle through into the world of business travel, ranging from economic policy to cross-border restrictions. As a result, 84% of travel managers report that geopolitical volatility is making their work more complicated. This is why a modern, people-first program is more important than ever, transforming this uncertainty into an opportunity to build trust.
And when business travellers trust their employers, it translates into satisfaction, productivity, and growth. A Slack survey into workplace trust found in companies with open, two-way communication, employees reported feeling 2.3 times more focused and 1.8 times more productive than they would without this open communication.
Trust is particularly important to Gen Z, which values authenticity above all else. When asked to rate their most important personal value, 92% listed being authentic and true to oneself – an attitude that carries through into the business travel experiences they expect and appreciate.
Gen Z sees business travel as integral to their career progress, with 94% believing it’s important and 59% worried about lost opportunities by not travelling. But they also want to feel supported on the road, with seamless booking tools and open communication from employers.
By offering unwavering support, clear communication, and smart financial tools, companies demonstrate a true commitment to their people. This support begins with a detailed risk assessment before each trip. You can then arm your travelling teams with information by sharing real-time, relevant risks, emergency procedures and destination-specific guides, outlining resources like medical facilities and embassies. This transforms your Duty of Care from a mere policy document into a powerful competitive advantage.
Despite a backdrop of global uncertainty, the business travel outlook remains bright for 2025 and beyond. GBTA forecasts a further rebound of 8.1% growth for 2026. And though experts predict short-term market volatility due to political factors affecting tourism and trade, global business travel spending is still on track to surpass $2 trillion by 2029.
Gen Z employees will be among those driving this travel demand with a desire for flexible itineraries and the ability to extend their work trips to experience new places and cultures. As digital natives, they also expect a seamless booking experience from start to finish.
And in just a few years, we’ll be seeing the first wave of Gen Alpha employees enter the workforce. You can prepare for the generations to come by following business travel trends, staying agile and better understanding employee needs. With multi-generational preferences for blended travel experiences and a better work-life balance, it’s more important than ever for companies to use data-driven solutions to empower their workforce. Real-time tracking ensures you give travelling employees the support they need, even in volatile situations, so that they can move through the world with confidence.
Investing in a human-centric, tech-powered travel program is the single best way to harness the energy of the current travel boom for long-term strategic growth. With travel management solutions like Tripeden.com for Business, you’ll give team members the intuitive booking tools they need to create custom itineraries with built-in flexibility.
“Business traveller.” For many, the term evokes an image of a middle-aged man, briefcase in hand, ru...
How and when are business travellers using AI for travel? Our survey explores the current state of A...
As a growing cohort in the workplace, Gen Z travel preferences should be integrated into planning an...
