Mind the Headwinds: Navigating Uncertainty in a Shifting U.S. Policy Climate

By: Leigh-Ann Burroughs, Principal Advisor

The Global Business Travel Association’s July 2025 sentiment poll is an industry snapshot that surveyed 950 travel buyers, suppliers, and TMCs across 45 countries.  The poll shows an energetic yet increasingly cautious sector as recent U.S. policy moves ripple through the global economy.

What’s shifting?

·       Supplier squeeze: 17 % revenue dip expected (hotels feel it most).

·       Trip counts: Corporate Travel Managers eye a 19 % drop with international travel hit hardest.

·       Budgets: 31% of buyers expecting declines in their company’s business travel expenditures.

·       Confidence: Only 28 % of buyers remain optimistic about remaining 2025.

·       Risk radar: duty‑of‑care & border‑detention worries keep climbing.

Smart moves for Travel Managers

·       Model “what‑if” scenarios for tariffs, visas, routes.

·       Upgrade duty‑of‑care tracking, crisis communications, insurance.

·       Renegotiate hotel deals while suppliers feel the pinch.

·       Keep execs & travelers in the loop with real‑time data.

Need a navigator through turbulent travel waters? Contact Lyndon Group’s Travel experts for an in-depth Travel Assessment which can uncover gaps and close risk loopholes, so your travel program stays resilient no matter how the policy winds shift.

Need a travel program review? Lyndon Group can audit your program fast and plug the gaps. Let’s chat.