The Week in Stats: Romance and Business Travel Boom

Each week Travel Agent is rounding up the latest trends, research and statistics from around the travel industry. This week we look at where couples are headed in 2014 and a strong Business Travel Index from the Global Business Travel Association

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The Global Business Travel Association recently released its GBTA BTI, a proprietary index of business travel activity. 

It is now estimated to reach 132 in Q1 2014, bolstered by a strengthening domestic economy, an improving external environment and slightly higher travel prices.
 
The BTI is expected to continue rising for the rest of 2014, reaching 137 by the end of the year.

RELATED: GBTA Expects Business Travel to Grow in 2014

TravelClick forecasts that online booking channels - online travel agents, hotel websites and global distribution systems - will continue to see year-over-year growth in 2014, continuing 2013 trends. 

Still, business booked via a hotel's 800 number (CRO) and hotel direct channels remains significant, according to TravelClick. The company recently broke out the top five cities receiving the larges share of bookings by channel in the fourth quarter of 2013. 

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Looking to match the right client to the right property? Recently the Market Metrix Hospitality Index (MMHI) released a look at what guests value most in a hotel, broken down by region. 

Keep visiting www.travelagentcentral.com for the latest travel industry news, trends and research.