International conflicts and economic challenges are leaving meeting professions more pessimistic, according to a new report.

The Global Business Travel Association’s Business Travel Outlook Poll [PDF], released April 22, is based on a survey of more than 500 business travel managers, suppliers, and other related professionals, the majority of which (57 percent) are based in the United States. 

According to the report, the optimism that marked the beginning of 2026 has faded in the wake of conflicts like the Iran war, a related rise in fuel costs, and general concerns about the global economy. Overall optimism dropped from 59 percent to 41 percent between January and April, “as geopolitical conflict, fuel-price pressure, airline disruption, border complexity, and security delays have all added friction at once,” the report says.

As a result of rising fuel costs, a majority of respondents (60 percent) say their organization will engage in less travel over the next six months. That has a direct effect on meetings, with 56 percent of buyers saying they’ve adjusted their meetings and events strategy in some manner—including going virtual, sending fewer attendees, relocating events, or canceling them outright.

In a statement about the report, GBTA CEO Suzanne Neufang said, “what we’re seeing is not a broad pullback from business travel, but a more deliberate and carefully managed approach to it. Organizations continue to travel and meet—and innovate—but they’re doing so while adapting to rising costs, operational friction and escalating geopolitical tensions.”

The report notes that those disruptions are having an impact on business’ willingness to travel to the United States for events, due to “border processing concerns and security-related delays to higher long-haul airfares.” More than a third of respondents (38 percent) said they are somewhat or much less likely to host a meeting in the United States now. 

Despite those challenges, the professionals polled expressed optimism on a number of fronts. Nearly all (92 percent) travel buyers said they were confident they could support travelers during a major disruption. And a majority of buyers (71 percent) said that the number of trips taken by their organization will either hold steady or increase. 

An April 30 report from the U.S. Travel Association echoed the sense that business travel is growing, if muted. According to USTA data, air passenger growth slowed to 1.7 percent in March and hotel demand grew 2.6 percent, both below previous rates. “Consumers felt the squeeze, but the demand response is still ahead,” the report said. 

GBTA’s report also found that more meeting professionals are engaging in AI tools, with 41 percent of respondents saying they are proactively identifying use cases for AI. Among the most popular uses are analytics and reporting; predictive analytics; fare optimization; and expense processing. 

Still, the economic challenges will likely guide planners’ thinking in the near future. Said GBTA’s Neufang in the statement: “These pressures are reshaping how, where and why companies are traveling now—making experienced business travel professionals more critical than ever to keeping travelers safe, navigating risk and disruption, and controlling budgets so organizations and people can continue to connect and do business.”