The Evolution of Business Travel: How Travel Tech Is Reshaping Corporate Journeys
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- Published: 10 Mar 2025
- By: Jonathan Carter-Chapman, Marketing Director, Northstar Travel Group
- Topics: Corporate Travel Tech, AI in Travel, Booking Systems, TMC Innovation, Data-Driven Travel
- Read Time: 8 minutes
Quick Summary
AI, automation, and intelligent data platforms are reshaping the business travel landscape. From scalable booking systems and smart workflow tools to carbon tracking and wellbeing analytics, travel technology is unlocking new ways for TMCs to improve service, efficiency, and profitability.
As companies reimagine what corporate travel should look like, providers like TripStax, Toureo, and Lokulus are leading the way.
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Introduction
Business travel, once governed by spreadsheets, service desks, and manual bookings, is now being redefined by a new breed of intelligent technology. The pressures of recent years—from economic volatility to increased sustainability demands—have compelled Travel Management Companies (TMCs) to rethink how they deliver value.
In this evolving landscape, travel tech providers are accelerating innovation at pace. The sector is seeing rising adoption of AI-powered automation, integrated booking ecosystems, and scalable platforms designed to reduce costs while enhancing user experience. No longer simply a support function, corporate travel is emerging as a strategic capability—enabled by data, automation, and agile software.
At the centre of this shift are companies transforming the way business journeys are planned, managed, and optimised.
The Rise of Centralised Data in Travel: TripStax Leads the Way
TripStax has seen remarkable growth since its 2022 launch, with booking volumes rising from 3 million to over 14.2 million per year—a 373% increase. The secret to its success lies in the TripStax Core, a powerful, cloud-based data engine that serves as a “single source of truth” for corporate travel data.
What sets TripStax apart is its commercial model: clients are charged once per data ingestion, regardless of how often the information is accessed or enriched across its ten integrated modules. This contrasts with traditional tech providers, where repeated data access often incurs additional costs—eating into TMC margins.
TripStax’s ability to enrich bookings with carbon data, security alerts, and wellbeing metrics has also seen demand surge. In 2023, over 43 million automated CO2 data requests were made via its integration with sustainability platform Thrust Carbon—highlighting how environmental reporting is now an essential feature, not an optional add-on.
CEO Jack Ramsey calls this evolution “a migration toward intelligent, modular infrastructure,” underpinned by clean, enriched data. The results speak for themselves: improved profitability, reduced vendor sprawl, and better service delivery.
Breaking the Mould: Lokulus and Agentivity’s AI Automation Alliance
For many TMCs, legacy fee models and outdated workflows remain a barrier to growth. The partnership between Lokulus and Agentivity is a powerful example of how AI can help overcome these challenges.
Their joint solution integrates intelligent workflow automation with advanced engagement tracking. The goal: to give TMCs full visibility across every customer touchpoint while replacing rigid, transaction-based models with value-driven service offerings.
With the sector facing a talent shortage, the platform also introduces smart workload distribution based on staff skills—ensuring optimal use of human resources without sacrificing service quality.
As Riaan van Schoor, CEO of Agentivity, explains: “For the first time, TMCs can exceed SLAs while confidently charging for bespoke service levels—because now they have the data to back it up.” The partnership signals a decisive step towards intelligent service architecture in corporate travel.
Operational Simplicity at Scale: Toureo’s Model for the Future
While designed for tour operators, Toureo's all-in-one platform offers lessons for corporate travel too. Its combination of booking management, CRM, automation, and real-time analytics in a single, flexible interface is the type of unified ecosystem TMCs increasingly demand.
What makes Toureo significant is its attention to user experience and scalability. Automation handles everything from payment processing to customer communications, freeing teams to focus on strategic growth and high-value client interaction.
The built-in CRM also supports deeper engagement by offering personalised communications and centralised customer profiles—critical in an environment where travellers expect tailored, responsive service.
As more TMCs seek to consolidate fragmented tech stacks, platforms like Toureo are setting the benchmark for efficiency, interoperability, and growth-readiness.
Sustainability, Wellbeing, and Risk: The New Corporate Priorities
The evolution of business travel isn’t just about speed or cost. Increasingly, corporate buyers expect travel tech to help them deliver on broader strategic priorities, including environmental reporting, duty of care, and employee wellbeing.
TripStax has seen a 54% year-on-year increase in third-party requests for security and wellness data. In fact, 88% of all bookings within the TripStax Core were queried by such providers in 2023—an indicator of the growing importance of safeguarding travellers across global itineraries.
This shift is driving demand for platforms that integrate these metrics by design—not as bolt-ons. It also suggests that the future of travel management will be defined not only by logistics, but by insight.
The End of Fragmentation: Toward Agile, Modular Travel Tech
One of the biggest blockers to progress in corporate travel has been the fragmented nature of travel systems. TMCs have historically relied on multiple vendors, disconnected platforms, and rigid integrations—each introducing inefficiencies and hidden costs.
Modern providers like TripStax and Toureo are reversing this trend with modular ecosystems that grow as clients’ needs evolve. Whether starting with one core module or scaling across ten, these systems offer flexibility without the need for disruptive overhaul.
As the demand for agility grows, this approach—backed by smart commercial models—represents a path forward. One where innovation is continuous, and technology works as a true partner in business growth.
Final Thoughts
The future of corporate travel is no longer theoretical—it’s happening now. TMCs that embrace automation, intelligent data, and integrated platforms are already gaining ground, offering their clients not just bookings, but value-driven travel management solutions.
Whether it’s the operational gains of AI automation, the cost savings of modular design, or the strategic impact of carbon and risk data, the message is clear: the era of reactive travel operations is over.
Instead, a new model is emerging—smarter, more sustainable, and built to scale. The next generation of business travel will be powered not by process, but by possibility.
Further Reading
- TripStax celebrates two years of significant business growth – tech provider sees surge in demand for automated carbon, risk and wellbeing data
- Pioneering AI automation software to transform the way TMCs do business
- Toureo Launches Revolutionary Tour Operator Software to Transform the Travel Industry
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