Global Business Travel Review: Business Travel Reroutes as Asia and Oceania Surge Amid Middle East Decline

· Bookings to the Middle East fell by 29.7% this spring, while travel to Asia increased by 22.1% and travel to Oceania by 8.6%

· Online bookings to Asia, Oceania and the Middle East all fell in 2026, replaced by agent bookings

Global business travel is proving resilient in the face of geopolitical disruption, but companies are becoming more selective, flexible and strategic about where and how they travel, according to new analysis from Advantage Travel Partnership and Travelogix in the 11th edition of their Global Business Travel Review.

Global business travel is proving resilient in the face of geopolitical disruption, but companies are becoming more selective, flexible and strategic about where and how they travel, according to new analysis from Advantage Travel Partnership and Travelogix in the 11th edition of their Global Business Travel Review.

The full review is available to download here.

Drawing on 1.92 million booking records worth more than £1.09 billion in transactional value, the latest analysis reveals a significant shift in European business travel patterns between January 2025 and June 2026. While bookings to the Middle East fell by 29.7%, travel to Asia increased by 22.1% and travel to Oceania by 8.6%.

Andrea Caulfield-Smith, Managing Director Global Business Travel at Advantage Travel Partnership says, “Business travel has not stopped in response to disruption. Instead, organisations are redirecting journeys, reassessing risk and placing greater emphasis on the commercial value, flexibility and resilience for each trip.”

Chris Lewis, Founder and CEO of Travelogix says, “This 11th edition of the Global Business Travel Review provides a fascinating snapshot of how business travel responded to disruption in the Middle East during the first half of 2026.



Whilst the geopolitical impact was certainly significant, the data demonstrates yet again just how remarkably adaptable our sector is in the face of crisis. Businesses and travellers changed routes, adapted policies, altered booking behaviour and shifted travel patterns rather than simply stopping travel altogether.

It also reinforces the value of TMCs and professionally managed travel. As journeys became more complex and disruption increased, the expertise, agility and support provided by TMCs became even more important in helping businesses and travellers navigate rapidly changing circumstances."

Asia and Oceania gain as Middle East travel declines



Though European business travel to the Middle East declined this spring, Asia recorded 22.1% booking growth, and Oceania increased by 8.6%, highlighting a wider rebalancing of international travel.

Oceania saw particularly pronounced increases in the cost and complexity of travel, with total spend also increasing by 44.5%, driven in part by journeys to Oceania taking on average 20.7% longer, demonstrating that disruption is creating a significant time cost for travellers as well as a financial one.

Asia experienced similarly strong momentum, with spend increasing 28.3% and average fares rising 11.4%. The figures point towards growing demand for alternative connectivity as businesses seek routes that offer greater resilience and certainty.

Complexity is pushing travellers back towards expert support



The analysis also identifies a clear shift in booking behaviour. Online booking penetration fell across all three corridors, declining by 5.5% in Asia, 5.9% in Oceania and 3.1% in the Middle East.

As itineraries become more complex and disruption more frequent, businesses appear to be placing greater value on assisted booking and access to expert support.

The trend is particularly evident in cabin choice. Despite the 29.7% decline in Middle East bookings, Business Class share increased by 3.5%, while Economy fell by 4.6 points. This suggests organisations are becoming more selective about the journeys they protect and are prioritising comfort and productivity where travel is considered essential.

Andrea Caulfield-Smith, Managing Director Global Business Travel at Advantage Travel Partnership said, “These figures provide a clear window into how business travel is changing. Companies are still travelling, but the decision-making process has become much more strategic. The question travel bookers are asking is not simply “Can we make this trip?” but “Is this trip commercially valuable, how resilient is the journey, and how effectively can we support the traveller if circumstances change?”

Ground transport and rail become integral to the complete journey

The changing travel environment is also increasing focus on what happens beyond the flight. Integrating ground transport into corporate travel programmes improves duty of care, policy compliance, cost control and resilience. Technology is enabling globally integrated booking and reporting, but buyers still need consistent quality and immediate human support when disruption occurs.

Automated vehicles are just one piece of the puzzle. Bookings of automated or “driverless” vehicles in the USA have increased from 1%- 3%. Questions remain around the duty of care surrounding driverless vehicles, but this incremental change is indicative of wider conversations being had among buyers around value.

Meanwhile, rail is increasingly being considered a strategic first choice rather than simply an alternative to air.

Darren Williams, Managing Director at Evolvi Rail Systems, said convenience, onboard productivity, reliability and improved booking integration have made rail the preferred option on many short-haul routes.

“Businesses are increasingly assessing the whole journey,” said Williams. “Total trip cost, predictability, traveller time, duty of care and resilience are becoming just as important as ticket price or scheduled journey time.”

He added that integrated multimodal platforms, APIs and detailed reporting will enable businesses to optimise complete journeys across rail, air, hotels and ground transport.

The road ahead

The findings point towards a business travel market that is changing rather than contracting. Organisations are continuing to travel where the commercial case is strong, but are placing greater emphasis on resilience, flexibility, traveller wellbeing, risk management and measurable value.

For travel managers and their partners, this means building programmes capable of responding quickly when routes, schedules or geopolitical conditions change, while ensuring travellers continue to receive the support they need.