A large majority of travel managers say they are expanding their budgets, according to a new Deloitte report — a signal that corporate travel demand, the highest-yield segment for airlines and hotels, is still on an upward trajectory.

The finding, reported by Business Travel Executive, puts corporate buyers on the growth side of the ledger at a moment when suppliers are renegotiating rates, programs and distribution terms for the year ahead. For travel sellers, corporate program expansion translates directly into volume commitments, negotiated rate leverage and larger managed-travel pipelines.

Deloitte's report frames the budget expansion as broad-based rather than isolated: a large majority of surveyed travel managers reported growth in their spend plans. That breadth matters for revenue managers and distribution teams because managed travel remains the backbone of hotel corporate rates and airline corporate contracts — segments that carry higher average rates than unmanaged leisure bookings.

What does the budget expansion mean for suppliers?

When travel managers widen budgets, they typically do three things that shift how travel is sold:

• They revisit negotiated rates and volume commitments with airlines, hotel chains and ground transport providers.
• They expand policy coverage, pushing more bookings through approved channels and travel management companies rather than unmanaged platforms.
• They increase demand for reporting, sustainability data and duty-of-care tools — a growing line of business for TMCs and travel technology vendors.

Each of those moves concentrates distribution through managed channels, which affects how suppliers allocate inventory, how OTAs compete for corporate share, and how TMCs defend their commission positions.

Why the managed-travel segment matters now

Corporate demand has been the recovery engine for much of the travel industry since the pandemic, and Deloitte's data suggests that engine is still running. Budget expansion among a large majority of travel managers indicates suppliers can expect continued volume growth from corporate accounts — though the report's findings reflect manager intentions, and actual spend will be tested against macroeconomic conditions through the year.

For hotel chains, expanded corporate budgets typically mean stronger weekday occupancy and higher-rated room nights in gateway markets. For airlines, they support premium-cabin demand, the most profitable part of the cabin. For TMCs and booking-tool providers, they mean transaction volumes that underpin per-transaction fee models.

The open question for sellers

Budget growth alone does not guarantee share. Travel managers expanding budgets will also face pressure to prove value, contain costs and meet sustainability targets, which keeps negotiating leverage with suppliers fluid. Suppliers that pair rate programs with data, content and duty-of-care capabilities are positioned to capture the incremental spend Deloitte's respondents say is coming.

Deloitte's report suggests the corporate travel market enters the coming negotiating cycle with buyers planning to spend more — a starting position suppliers and intermediaries will factor into 2026 rate talks, program bids and distribution strategy.