Exclusive: Four in five people expect to travel for work amid sector post-pandemic bounce back

Around 80 per cent of people expect to travel for work this year as the sector bounces back post-Covid.

According to a research by high speed rail operator HS1, 66 per cent of respondents said they would prefer taking the train over a plane for business for sustainability reasons, while figures increase to 77 per cent for leisure passengers.

“We’re extremely pleased to see that people are looking to get back out there for business and leisure, and taking up all of the UK’s travel options in 2022,” said HS1’s chief executive Dyan Crowther.

“It’s also encouraging to see that people who are travelling for business are now thinking about their carbon footprint and looking for more environmentally-friendly options whenever they can.”

Interviewees added that the pandemic had highlighted a need for businesses to give employees more sustainable options, with 84 per cent of them saying they would chose more sustainable modes of transport if encouraged by their employers.

“We know that businesses are becoming increasingly conscious of the impact their travel has on the environment,” added Eurostar’s boss Jacques Damas.

“With a passenger emitting on average 15 times less carbon when travelling by Eurostar train rather than plane between London and Paris, it is clear why our corporate clients are actively choosing rail for short haul international business trips.”