Business travel continues to accelerate while leisure travel remains stagnant. This is the main takeaway from the latest benchmark published by Navan on July 14, 2026. In the first half of the year, the group's own indicator rose by 13.5% year-on-year, while the TSA's passenger index increased by only 0.5%, according to Navan.
The Navan Business Travel Index reached 189.1 in the first half of 2026, compared to 121.1 for the TSA index, a difference of 68 points, according to Navan. This signal warrants attention from travel agencies, travel management companies (TMCs), hoteliers, and mobility providers: businesses are continuing to travel despite rising costs.
Summary
A benchmark worth reading with interest, but without naivety
Navan specifies that its indicator is based on millions of corporate transactions carried out through its platform, covering more than 12,500 companies. The group also indicates that its methodology is inspired by the approaches used for composite indices and that it has been validated by Nasdaq experts. This indicator therefore provides a useful signal about the universe observed by Navan, without, on its own, constituting a comprehensive snapshot of the global market.
Therefore, this benchmark should be read for what it really is: a solid indicator of the corporate universe observed by Navan, compared to a public index constructed from TSA passenger volumes.
The corporate sector is moving forward despite cost inflation
The most interesting point is not just the increase in overall volume. Navan also shows that companies have been willing to pay more to maintain their travel. Domestic spending rose by 21.5% year-on-year, while volumes increased by 8.8%. At the same time, average ticket prices rose by 14.4% for domestic travel and 9.1% for international travel.
In other words, companies aren't just traveling more. They're also absorbing significant pricing pressure to continue moving their teams. For the sector, this is just as important as gross growth: it confirms that business travel is still seen as a worthwhile investment.
Premium services, hotels, and ground transportation also boost value
The benchmark published by Navan highlights another strong trend: the faster growth of premium cabins. Business and first class travel increased by 17.0% on domestic flights and 19.3% on international flights, exceeding the growth of all cabin classes combined.
The signal is similar in the hotel sector. Navan reports an 11.1% increase in domestic hotel booking volumes and a 9.8% increase internationally. Finally, spending on taxis, ride-hailing services, public transport, tolls, and parking is rising sharply, highlighting that business travel involves the entire journey, not just the flight or the hotel stay.
Some sectors are driving demand much more than others
The recovery is not uniform. Professional services are showing the strongest growth at +44.6%, followed by the public sector, transport and logistics, energy and utilities, and then the non-profit sector. This hierarchy is valuable for B2B tourism players: it indicates where the most active companies in business travel are concentrated at this stage.
What this signal changes for tourism professionals
The real issue isn't simply that corporate travel is performing better than leisure travel over this period. The real issue is how to leverage this information. For a travel management company (TMC), this could justify a greater focus on consulting, reporting, service, and high-value accounts. For a city hotel, it argues for more targeted business offerings. For a mobility provider, it's a reminder that door-to-door sales are once again becoming a strategic area.
This benchmark doesn't say the entire market has returned to its previous state. It reveals something more useful: business travel is making a comeback, but in a more selective, demanding, and value-driven way. Those who can interpret this shift as a business signal, not just a corporate announcement, will have a head start.
Sources
- https://investors.navan.com/news-releases/news-release-details/navan-business-travel-benchmark-sets-new-record-business-travel
- https://navan.com/btb
- https://www.tsa.gov/travel/passenger-volumes
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