Absent a recession, business travel costs on average globally in 2026 should year over year but at a gentler pace than recent years have featured according to a new projection from travel management company CWT and the Global Business Travel Association.
Unveiled Monday at GBTA’s annual convention in Denver, the CWT/GBTA 2026 Global Business Travel Forecast projects that average global airfares in 2026 will increase 0.4 percent—$3—to $708, after a projected 2.2 percent decline for full-year 2025.
CWT and GBTA project the average 2026 global daily hotel rate to increase 1.2 percent (again $3) to $166, after a projected 1.2 percent increase ($2 to $163) in 2025.
The forecast is generated by the use of Avrio Institute economic and statistical modeling using anonymized data generated by CWT and GBTA and publicly available information, according to the organizations.
The report noted global increases in airline and hotel capacity, despite challenges regarding new aircraft delivery and sluggish rates of hotel construction, that help to limit price growth.
“This year’s forecast shows encouraging signs that business travel pricing is normalizing further—and that’s creating real opportunities for corporate travel buyers,” CWT CEO Patrick Andersen said in a statement. “While economic uncertainty hasn’t gone away, corporate travel buyers are regaining leverage and have more room to optimize their programs.”
CWT and GBTA forecast average 2026 global car rental rates to increase 2.8 percent year over year to $48, after a projected 2.9 percent increase in 2025, both a far cry from the 6.1 percent increase in 2024. “Vehicle availability has improved significantly,” according to the report.
Average er-day meeting per-attendee cost is forecast to increase 2.4 percent year over year to 2026, according to the organizations, “broadly in line with headline inflation rates across G20 economies.”
“The indicators are pointing to a more predictable era ahead for business travel pricing, with travel managers navigating a landscape that’s steadier than the post-pandemic surge,” GBTA CEO Suzanne Neufang said in a statement. “However, that landscape will continue to be shaped by inflation, supply constraints, and evolving traveler expectations.”
Still, given the economic tumult that has marked 2025, CWT and GBTA developed a set of projections in the event of a global economic downturn. In that case 2026 year-over year average airfares, average hotel daily rates, average car rental rates and average per-attendee meeting cost each would decline between 1 percent and 2 percent from 2025 levels.
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