After the crisis, nothing will be as it was before. At least in the case of business travel activities, it seems that this claim could prove to be true. The first German companies are already suggesting that they want to increasingly rely on virtual solutions in the future.

Software programs for video telephony have been particularly popular since the beginning of the pandemic. These are increasingly replacing physical meetings, and important government summits are now also being held via online platforms. This model could become the standard in the future and business travel the exception. The insurer Allianz has already adjusted its travel guidelines in order to “reduce travel to a considerable extent”.

Other DAX companies also recognize the savings potential. Telekom, for example, recently spent 100 million euros less on travel than before, without the US business. In the past few months, Continental has saved 70 percent of the costs otherwise incurred for business trips. “Nowadays, more and more things, including commissioning and maintenance, can be done or instructed remotely,” says the industrial group Siemens.

So while companies initially had to react to changes, most of them have apparently got used to it over the long term. This is also confirmed by the latest surveys by the business travel association VDR. In it, companies would state that they would reduce their business travel by up to 30 percent compared to the pre-Corona period. 13 percent even expect a decrease of up to 50 percent, like Reisevor9.de reported.