Gen Z is eager to embrace the bounce-back in business travel, but younger travellers are also more likely to feel stressed, experience disruption, and lack clarity on the support their employer provides.
Based on a survey of 1,800 business travellers a new report from American Express Global Business Travel, conducted by Ipsos, entitled, ‘Meet Tomorrow’s Business Travellers,’ says 70% of Gen Z business travellers (aged 18-28) claim they look forward to work trips, but behind that enthusiasm lies a more complex reality, revealing clear generational differences in travellers perception.
Gen Z stands out as both eager and overwhelmed. They reported the highest rate of travel disruption in the past year (45%) compared to Millennials (36%) and Gen X (32%) and are the least likely (63%) to understand their employer’s duty of care – a communication gap travel managers and HR leaders must address, says Amex GBT.
“We can see that Gen Z workers recognize how business travel can enable career growth and connection in a more disrupted world,” said Evan Konwiser, Chief Product and Strategy Officer, Amex GBT. “With that said, we know that travelling can be an emotional experience, especially when it is disrupted. As an industry, it is important that we find the right mix of digital self-service and human support to meet the needs of both today and tomorrow’s travelling workforce.”
That balance is clearly in demand: while six in 10 travellers are interested in using digital or self-service tools during disruptions, seven in 10 still want access to human support – underscoring the need for hybrid solutions that combine automation with empathy.
Despite their digital-native reputation, Gen Z is less comfortable using generative AI for travel tasks than Millennials – 60% vs. 66% for flight booking. The same pattern holds for expense reports and restaurant reservations, suggesting comfort with AI may be tied more to workplace experience than age.
For Canadian travel professionals, this research underscores the need to tailor support and communication strategies to a changing workforce, says Amex. As Gen Z moves into more decision-making roles, advisors and suppliers must rethink how they support younger business travellers – not just with smarter tech, but also with clearer policies, human support, and more education around duty of care.
The report also highlights the continued rise of “bleisure” travel. Sixty-two percent of respondents have extended a business trip for leisure, while 52% have worked during personal travel — trends that blur the lines between business and vacation. Meanwhile, four in 10 remote workers say travel opportunities are a key consideration when evaluating new job opportunities, reinforcing business travel’s growing role in employer branding and talent retention.
Looking ahead, 55% of respondents expect to travel more for work in five years than they do today, and two-thirds believe it will get easier. But that optimism comes with expectations: younger travellers want more than just logistics – they want to feel confident, cared for, and connected.
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