Despite rising expenses and uncertain geopolitical tensions, business travel remains a critical corporate channel for maintaining client relationships, pursuing growth opportunities, and keeping teams connected. For most organizations, this means the challenge isn’t whether to travel, but how to do so more strategically. And with keeping costs down more important than ever, travel managers are uniquely positioned to drive value—if they have the right support behind them.
That’s where a strategic travel partner can assist. More than just a booking tool or travel provider, a travel management company (TMC) acts as a consultative advisor who can help streamline operations, enhance traveler satisfaction, and align a travel program with broader business goals. Whether you are navigating change or building for the future, the right travel partner can offer the tools, insights, and expertise to move your program forward with confidence.
Read on to explore the top seven ways a TMC can strengthen your travel program, even in uncertain times.
Cost Savings
In times of market disruption, travel budgets often come under pressure, but cutting costs doesn’t always lead to smarter spending. A strategic travel management company helps travel managers uncover cost-saving opportunities that go beyond basic reductions. From negotiating supplier discounts to identifying inefficiencies in booking behavior, the right TMC turns travel from a sunk cost into a source of measurable value.
Instead of scaling back on business travel, forward-looking organizations are leaning on their travel partner to help them make smarter, more informed decisions. A TMC can lend their expertise and help travel managers optimize their spend, ensuring every dollar contributes to broader business goals.
Supplier Negotiations
One of the most immediate ways your travel management company can deliver value is by unlocking savings with pre-negotiated rates and exclusive discounts across air, hotel, and car rental suppliers. These cost advantages are often unattainable through unmanaged channels, making this particularly valuable when market rates are volatile. Beyond preferred pricing, a TMC also offers strategic supplier guidance and performance forecasting tailored to an organization’s size, goals, and budget.
Economic shifts also present the opportunity to reassess contract terms, cancellation policies, and unused travel assets. For example, if an employee cannot use a previously booked ticket, a TMC can monitor airline policies and manage credits on the company’s behalf. At Direct Travel, our Unused Ticket Manager reduces financial waste by automatically tracking unused tickets, providing deadline alerts, and generating real-time reporting. If a credit goes unclaimed, the system flags it for an advisor to intervene, ensuring every available dollar is put to use.
Policy Compliance
An economic slowdown can be an ideal time for travel managers to take advantage of decreased activity and update their travel policy for the future. A TMC plays a key role in the process and can evaluate current guidelines, identify gaps, and recommend updates to keep travelers compliant without sacrificing convenience.
The right travel partner can help reduce leakage by designing a traveler-friendly program that employees actually want to use. This includes:
- Offering a modern, intuitive booking experience that rivals consumer platforms
- Integrating content from multiple sources for broader choice (GDS, NDC, aggregators, and direct connections)
- Recognizing loyalty programs so employees can earn rewards while still staying in policy
By aligning policy with traveler preferences and behaviors, your TMC helps turn compliance into a frictionless, value-driven process.
Risk Management
Out-of-policy bookings don’t just impact costs, they compromise duty of care. Without full visibility into traveler locations and itineraries, organizations are limited in their ability to provide timely support or respond during emergencies. A trusted TMC helps close that gap by enabling real-time tracking, implementing proactive safety protocols, and promoting traveler well-being throughout the journey.
At Direct Travel, we equip travel managers with the tools and intelligence needed to mitigate risk, from disruption alerts and benchmarking insights to strategic guidance and global support. Our duty of care and disruption management solutions ensure companies can protect their people, even in times of uncertainty.
Traveler Experience
Beyond addressing team safety and security, the strongest travel programs also reflect company values, support employee wellness, and prioritize a positive traveler experience. A TMC can help gather and act on traveler feedback, uncover areas for improvement, and design a program that aligns with both organizational goals and employee expectations.
Prioritizing the traveler experience doesn’t just boost satisfaction, it drives innovation and strengthens culture. With the right partner, travel managers can personalize duty of care, accommodate individual preferences, and create a more inclusive, traveler-centric program that delivers long-term value for the business.
Sustainability
Another aspect of building a respectful and responsible travel program is sustainability, which should be a key consideration when making business travel decisions. Travel managers can rely on their TMC to evaluate the entire travel lifecycle and identify opportunities to reduce environmental impact. This includes asking questions such as:
- Are we choosing hotel partners and suppliers with eco-friendly practices?
- Can lower-emission alternatives to air travel be prioritized?
- When flying, are we encouraging employees to select direct flights to minimize carbon output?
A knowledgeable TMC can guide your organization in adopting greener travel practices without compromising performance. Through our Direct View Consulting services, Direct Travel offers strategic insights and hands-on support, from emissions tracking and supplier selection to sustainable policy development. Travel managers gain insight into how to align their travel program with their organization’s ESG goals, even if they’re building their sustainability approach from the ground up.
Technology
Investing in the right technology is a critical component of every travel program, and simplifying workflows and automating tasks can free up teams to focus on higher-value work. A TMC plays a key role in helping organizations assess their existing tech stack, uncover areas for improvement, and leverage historical data to forecast future needs.
As the corporate travel landscape evolves, travel managers should look to their TMC as a strategic partner who can help them adopt emerging technologies, harness data-driven insights, and unify their travel ecosystem.
That’s why we released Avenir: Travel Edition, our modern travel platform powered by cutting-edge technology from Spotnana and backed by Direct Travel’s unmatched service. With its open architecture for continuous innovation and the unique ability to mix and match fare types in one itinerary, Avenir empowers travel programs to stay ahead of what’s next. 
With Avenir: Travel Edition, we’re reimagining what’s possible in corporate travel and how the world connects. This isn’t just a platform—it’s a bold leap forward. Avenir brings together intelligent design, real-time insight, and personalized service to transform travel into a true business advantage. It’s our vision brought to life—and one step closer to delivering ‘The Perfect Trip.’
– Christal Bemont, CEO, Direct Travel
Stronger Partnerships, Not Scaled-Back Plans
By offering expert guidance, exclusive savings, and integrated solutions, the right TMC can help travel managers respond to financial pressure without sacrificing performance. Whether it’s through optimizing spend, improving compliance, or investing in future-ready technology, a travel partner can help set your program up for success, regardless of how economic goals fluctuate and what the year ahead brings.
To learn how Direct Travel can help you build a smarter, more resilient travel program, contact us today. Together, we’ll turn today’s challenges into tomorrow’s opportunities.
