In an evolving business landscape, corporate travel is rapidly transforming from a transactional function into a strategic driver of growth, employee engagement, and operational resilience. From the rise of bleisure travel to the integration of AI-powered solutions and predictive analytics, organisations are rethinking how travel contributes to broader business objectives.
In this exclusive interview, Mr. Jeet Sawhney, Managing Director, ATPI India, shares his insights on the changing dynamics of corporate travel across India and Asia. He highlights how companies are balancing cost efficiency with traveller experience, leveraging technology for smarter decision-making, and embracing a “high-tech, high-touch” approach to navigate an increasingly complex and fragmented travel ecosystem.
How has corporate travel in India and the broader Asian region evolved in recent years, particularly in response to changing business priorities and traveller expectations?
The landscape has transitioned from a cost-centre mindset to a value-centre reality. In India’s maturing market, the “ticket-centric” past is being replaced by a “strategy-first” future. However, it is important to recognise that while the intent for automation is high, the region’s data infrastructure remains fragmented. We are currently in a stage of “Augmented AI,” where technology suggests the best choices, but human interaction remains essential to validate decisions across markets with varying levels of digital maturity.
As travel becomes a strategic function, how are organisations leveraging it to drive business growth, relationships, and overall
performance?
Companies now treat travel as an investment in “Human Capital” and a tool for talent retention. A key component of this is addressing the “Bleisure” surge, with over 70% of travellers now blending work with leisure. To prevent “loyalty leakage,” we help clients re-engineer policies to include soft perks like lounge access or “green points.” If responsible usage is aligned with business goals, a proactive bleisure policy becomes a powerful tool for recruitment and Return on Objective (ROO).
Duty of care and traveller wellbeing are now central to travel programs; what meaningful changes are you seeing in how companies approach these areas?
We have moved beyond basic tracking toward “Predictive Care”—using data to identify high-stress itineraries, such as excessive red-eye flights, before burnout occurs. A significant new frontier is the rise of cyber risk. Because travellers are vulnerable during disruptions, they are often targeted by deepfakes and phishing. We are advising clients to move beyond “IT only” solutions and implement “travel disruption drills,” establishing secure protocols so employees know exactly how the company will—and won’t—communicate during a crisis.
The industry is moving from transactional bookings to end-to-end program management. What impact is this having on travel managers and service providers?
This shift has elevated the Travel Manager to a strategic consultant role. To support this, ATPI is moving away from legacy infrastructure toward unified, cloud-native platforms like Avenir (powered by Spotnana). This allows for the aggregation of multi-source content and standardised traveller profiles, creating a consistent data layer that works reliably even in structurally fragmented markets.
In what ways are data analytics and real-time reporting influencing smarter, faster decision-making in corporate travel?
Immediate visibility allows managers to spot “leakage” the moment it happens. Furthermore, there is a critical shift from simple cost-cutting to “Cost Resilience.” While cost-cutting is a static, often unreachable goal during demand spikes, cost resilience uses AI for yield management. This allows companies to search for the best value within the top 10–20% of available inventory, managing volatility rather than just chasing a fixed price.
India remains a highly cost-conscious market—how can organisations balance cost control with compliance and a high-quality traveller experience?
India remains a highly cost-conscious market, so the balance lies in combining global technology infrastructure with locally delivered service – using intuitive platforms to drive compliance through ease of use rather than rigid mandates. At ATPI, cost control is delivered through a combination of negotiated supplier rates, pre-trip auditing, and technology-driven policy compliance. Key strategies involve using proprietary advanced data analytics to identify trends and savings to reduce airfare by up to 34%, and ensuring compliance with company policies to eliminate wasteful spending.
In more unpredictable corridors, however, a purely cost-first approach can be risky. We advise a pragmatic view—investing in routes with fewer geopolitical choke points, even at a premium, as the cost of disruption far outweighs marginal savings. Ultimately, the goal is not just to reduce cost, but to optimise it, delivering a travel program that is compliant, efficient, and resilient, without compromising the traveller experience.
Which technological innovations are currently making the biggest difference in improving visibility, control, and efficiency?
In India, the biggest gains in visibility, control, and efficiency are coming from integrated T&E systems and AI-driven “zero-touch” booking—removing a lot of the manual back-and-forth that traditionally slows teams down. What’s making the real difference, though, is how this technology shows up in everyday moments. Travel managers have instant visibility over spend and compliance, while travellers get fast, mobile-first tools that let them book within policy without friction.
Advanced analytics ties it all together—turning travel data into clear, actionable insights so companies can make smarter decisions in real time, not after the fact. Add in automated approvals and centralised reporting, and you get tighter control
without adding complexity.
In a market like India, the focus isn’t just on adding more tech—it’s about using it in a way that makes travel simpler, faster, and more predictable for everyone involved.
As AI and automation continue to reshape industries, do you see corporate travel management becoming more autonomous, and what role will human expertise play?
Travel will become more autonomous in the process, but more human in the crisis. AI is perfect for handling predictable patterns and mundane re-bookings, but it cannot replace Contextual Empathy. The human layer provides the strategic judgment and social intelligence necessary to navigate complex business cultures. At ATPI, we champion “High-Tech, High-Touch”—leveraging AI to do the heavy lifting so our people can provide high-level strategy, empathy, and calm during disruptions.
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