Executives on move, says Hogg Robinson

Published on Friday 27 November 2009 19:44

THE business travel belt-tightening imposed at the start of the recession is beginning to ease as executives fly more and trade up from economy class, corporate travel specialist Hogg Robinson says.

The group yesterday said companies were rekindling overseas face-to-face meetings, particularly in growth areas such as the Far East. But it cautioned that this may not be the start of a sustained recovery as the economic outlook remained uncertain.

Half-year figures revealed that underlying pre-tax profits at the company dipped 3.8 per cent to 7.5 million in the six months to the end of September.

Meanwhile, travel specialist Holidaybreak yesterday hailed a "resilient" trading performance after school trip bookings offset a loss-making year in adventure travel.

The group, which also offers camping and hotel breaks, posted pre-tax profits of 28.4m for the year to 30 September, down 13 per cent from a year earlier.