Andrew Sheivachman

Global conditions remain solid for global business travel next year. Hotels are cheap, and airfares are slated for a minor increase. Increased air travel options in China are making it easier for business travelers in North America to visit Asia's strongest economic power.

The decline of tourism growth in the U.S. impacts nearly every other sector of the economy. Macroeconomic trends, along with safety and security concerns, are making travel to the U.S. a more challenging sell.

It's no surprise that business travelers hate waiting in security lines more than any other aspect of the travel experience. But the importance of booking choice to millennials and booking flexibility for Gen Xers shows how consumer booking tools have shifted how workers think about business travel.

The outlook for travel in the U.S. is somewhat cloudy. Low gas prices are bolstering domestic travel, even if its growth rate is creeping downward. The high value of the U.S. dollar and other factors like the upcoming presidential election, however, are suppressing international inbound travel.

Originally, the idea for this story was to find the top 25 travel virtual reality experiences, but there aren't many quality pieces of content right now. It looks like travel companies are making all the same mistakes they made with blogs and online video again, just in the virtual reality space this time. More experienced content creators, however, are finding ways to push the medium forward.

It's no surprise that travel buyers want to save money for their company. But they also need to realize that uncomfortable or inconvenienced flyers are going to spend extra on seat upgrades, Wi-Fi, meals, and more.

It looks like the travel industry isn't enthusiastic about industry player Donald Trump, the iconoclastic billionaire and hotel mogul. Meanwhile, Delta Air Lines CEO Richard Anderson has quietly emerged as a major Democratic donor.

Travelers and their travel managers don't always agree on the most important preferences when flying. But most travel managers, for some reason, don't use formal tools to receive traveler feedback. Perhaps the gaps could be narrowed with more engagement between travel managers and travelers.

Security concerns in Europe seems to be the new normal, according to travel agency executives. Travelers are simply booking vacations to safer destinations instead of putting off travel altogether.

After a game of musical chairs in corporate travel's C-suite, stay tuned to see which travel management companies most nimbly adapt to changes in the marketplace.