Embracing AI and Hyper-Personalization in Corporate Travel
2025 pushed corporate travel into a new era of AI-driven planning and tailored experiences. AI shifted from reactive support to a proactive digital co-pilot that manages bookings, expenses, policy checks and rebooking before issues escalate. ALTOUR’s Intelligence ecosystem has been central to this shift, helping you streamline each stage of the trip and keep travelers supported in real time.
That AI layer also boosts duty of care. We’re seeing AI using real-time data, from weather to geopolitical risk, to alert travelers and support better decision-making. Read more on this here.
NDC also stepped up this year, giving airlines room to design personalized bundles with upgrades, Wi-Fi, lounge access and other elements shaped around individual needs. Companies have used this flexibility to build travel programs that match policy requirements and traveler expectations without unnecessary extras.
Biometric touchpoints continued to expand, speeding up airport movements from security to boarding. Expectation around always-on connectivity also increased. Travelers now see strong, reliable access as a baseline requirement, regardless of destination or trip purpose.
Here are some of the big themes and news of 2025:
Prioritizing Sustainability and Traveler Well-Being
We’ve seen an increase in the focus of sustainability, becoming a core business priority in 2025 rather than a side conversation. Companies continued to push for lower-emission transport, greener accommodation and more transparency in carbon reporting. ALTOUR has been helping travel managers navigate these options and build sustainability into policy frameworks in a practical way.
There was also a sharper focus on local impact. Travelers deliberately chose local suppliers, local food and community-based options. Sustainable travel became as much about positive contribution as carbon reduction.
The Rise of Bleisure
A notable shift in 2025 was the way professionals blended business and personal time on the road. According to ALTOUR’s 2025 Business Travel Index, 39% of travelers now frequently extend work trips to add leisure time, a sign of changing expectations around balance and well-being.
Blending business and leisure is now a core part of how organizations support their people, and we’ve been helping clients build this into their travel programs. This year we introduced ALTOUR Vacations, a private platform designed exclusively for ALTOUR clients. It gives employees access to personalized vacation packages they can tag onto business trips or book as their next standalone break, supporting well-being, while adding a meaningful perk to your travel program.
Strategic Travel Spend and Efficient Planning
Travel budgets became more selective in 2025. Companies concentrated on essential trips that deliver value, which led to fewer low-impact journeys and more targeted itineraries. ALTOUR’s insights showed a clear move toward efficiency: more productive trips, less downtime and tighter schedules.
Shorter, more focused travel also became common. Travelers condensed meetings to avoid unnecessary days away from home. This shift aligned with a broader industry trend toward maximizing each travel day.
Enhancing Duty of Care, Safety and Inclusivity
AI-driven duty of care was a major theme. In our “Beyond the Booking” blog, ALTOUR showed how AI systems monitor global risk indicators (political unrest, health, transport) and trigger proactive alerts.
Inclusivity also became a business priority. Our ALTOUR ACCESS team pushed forward with more flexible, accessible programs, accounting for diverse traveler needs, whether physical mobility or neurodiversity. Travel safety in 2025 wasn’t just about staying secure but making travel equitable.
ALTOUR’s Big 2025 Moves: Partnerships and Innovation
2025 marked a year of meaningful progress for ALTOUR, not just in the partnerships we formed, but in the outcomes these collaborations delivered for global travel buyers. Every move was shaped by a single principle: build a flexible, connected ecosystem that adapts to your organization, not the other way around. While other TMCs push clients toward a single platform, ALTOUR’s approach is deliberately modular, giving you the freedom to design a program around your goals, culture and traveler needs.
ALTOUR Intelligence: Smarter, Stronger and Setting a New Standard
Launched in 2024, ALTOUR Intelligence accelerated rapidly this year. Clients adopted enhancements across the suite – from AI Shield, now delivering real-time policy guidance and automated Duty of Care protection, to the expansion of AI Book, our conversational booking assistant that earned finalist recognition at BTS Europe and BTS America. Together, these capabilities help travel managers stay ahead of disruption, improve compliance and support travelers more effectively.
Mesh Partnership: Integrated T&E and Cleaner Data
Our partnership with Mesh Payments connected booking, payment and expense into one automated flow. Organizations now gain real-time visibility, faster reconciliation and tighter financial control, all embedded into ALTOUR Connect, a modern, streamlined alternative to traditional T&E platforms.
Juno Collaboration: Consistent Travel for Non-Employees
As the first TMC to partner with Juno, we delivered a long-overdue solution for managing travel for contractors, guests and other non-employees. Clients now benefit from standardized processes, simplified booking and clear visibility of cost and compliance across all traveler types.
ALTOUR + Blockskye + KAYAK for Business: A Global Architecture Built for Scale
Our alliance with Blockskye and KAYAK for Business supports enterprise programs in more than 80 countries with verified data, consumer-grade booking and ALTOUR’s global servicing footprint, delivering consistency without sacrificing local nuance.
Why These Moves Matter
Across each of these developments, the impact is clear: stronger duty of care, higher compliance, cleaner data and fewer disruptions – delivered through an ecosystem designed around you. These aren’t isolated upgrades; they form a modular, adaptable ALTOUR framework that supports global complexity while remaining deeply personal to how your business operates.
This flexibility is our USP and the foundation for helping clients build travel programs that are resilient, efficient and aligned to real business outcomes.
The ALTOUR Way
As the industry shifts, our north star stays the same, doing what’s right for our clients. Every decision we make, every partnership we enter, and every piece of technology we build is shaped by your priorities, not our own. This approach has guided ALTOUR through 2025, and it’s the foundation for how we’ll move into 2026 and beyond.
We’ve doubled down on innovation this year, but we’ve done it in a way that keeps humans at the center. Our AI advancements are designed to make travel easier, safer and more transparent for your teams. Our partnerships are built to streamline your operations without compromising your preferred supplier strategy. And our service model is anchored in integrity; clear pricing, honest recommendations and accountability that goes beyond industry norms.
Our clients trust us with their travelers, their data and their business goals become ours. We take that seriously. From safeguarding every journey to protecting their information, we act like an extension of their team. We’ll continue to raise the bar on ethics, transparency and proactive communication, because that’s the only way to deliver long-term value in an industry that’s changing fast.
2025 made one thing clear: our purpose is to help you run a smarter, safer and more confident travel program. In 2026, we’ll continue to lead with innovation, flexibility and a people-first mindset.
As travel becomes more personal and more connected to business outcomes, ALTOUR will be by your side, ensuring your program evolves with your organization.
Get in touch to explore how ALTOUR can shape the future of your travel program.
Let’s Connect.
