The new engine of India’s business travel growth

India’s business travel landscape is undergoing a profound transformation, driven by the rapid expansion of the country’s small and medium enterprises (SME) and startup ecosystem. With more than 500,000 SMEs and over 223,000 recognised startups scaling across cities at an unprecedented pace, travel has become an essential operational lever for building relationships, managing distributed operations and unlocking new growth corridors.

This evolution is reflected in shifting traveller behaviour. According to Booking.com Travel Trends 2026 research, 40% of global leisure travellers took at least one business trip over the past year and the figure reached 71% in India.

For many growing enterprises, corporate travel is no longer restricted to AGMs or legacy industry conferences. Founders, sales teams and operational managers are taking to the skies and roads more regularly to engage clients on the ground, enter new markets and strengthen business networks in an increasingly competitive and hyper-connected economy.

From Compliance to Convenience

As business travel becomes more frequent, professional expectations are shifting accordingly. Historically, corporate travel systems were built rigidly around two pillars: policy compliance and top-down cost management. Today’s professionals, however, expect the same ease, transparency, and flexibility in their work travel that they experience when booking a personal vacation.

This shift is reshaping how businesses approach travel planning. Lengthy approval cycles, fragmented booking experiences and inflexible legacy systems are major friction points in a fast-moving business environment where convenience and speed matter. Furthermore, for lean startups, paying hefty subscription fees for complex enterprise travel software simply doesn't make financial sense. They need agile, cost-effective alternatives that protect operational budgets.

Technology is also playing a larger role in bridging this gap seamlessly. We found that 85% Indian travellers leveraged AI-powered tools during their trip planning or transit in 2025. For SMEs deploying the right digital travel platform acts as a free, built-in travel desk, allowing employees the autonomy to book their own flights, accommodation, and transport while simultaneously giving administrators full visibility through a centralized dashboard. By setting real-time budget caps and custom travel policies, businesses can ensure financial guardrails are met without suffocating employee flexibility

The ‘Bleisure’ Boom and Operational Efficiency

Another trend shaping the sector is the blurring line between professional and personal journeys. A growing number of Indian professionals are extending work trips to include personal experiences, reflecting a broader cultural shift towards work-life integration or even

travelling with non-traditional companions. Our research reveals that 32% of Indian travellers are now planning trips with colleagues, indicating that business travel is increasingly leveraged for internal team-building and collaboration in a hybrid work era.

This approach is influencing what travellers look for in accommodation, booking flexibility and trip planning. At the same time, businesses operating across highly-fragmented markets are also looking for travel experiences that support operational efficiency through features like streamlined, GST-compliant invoicing, flexible payment options and reliable accommodation access across both metro and emerging economic hubs.

We are seeing these shifts reflected in traveller preferences and booking patterns across India. Businesses today increasingly expect seamless, digitally native travel experiences that are instantly adaptable to changing traveller needs, regardless of company size.

Business Travel in India Is Entering a New Phase

The evolution of business travel in India reflects a broader shift in how Indian businesses are scaling. As companies expand across cities and new sectors, travel is becoming an important enabler of collaboration, opportunity and market access.

At the same time, expectations around corporate travel are becoming more sophisticated. It’s no longer just a logistical question about getting from point A to point B; it is a strategic combination of flexibility, digital integration and employee well-being. This new phase of India’s business travel ecosystem is no longer being influenced solely by conglomerates, but by the sheer ambition, digital fluency and agility of our startups and SMEs.

(The author is Regional Head, South Asia at Booking.com. Views are personal.)