GBTA Convention 2026 Highlights AI Advances and Brazil's Corporate Travel Growth

The GBTA Convention 2026 took place in Chicago from August 3‑5, gathering more than 5,000 travel‑industry professionals. The event emphasized the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence in corporate travel, with companies unveiling new tools such as FCM Travel’s AI‑driven reservation assistant for Microsoft Teams and Slack, Accelya’s SPRK Assist for automating NDC bookings, and S4travel’s B2B marketplace that can generate quotes in seconds.

The GBTA released its Business Travel Index, projecting global corporate‑travel spending to reach US$1.71 trillion in 2026 – a 7.2% rise from the previous year. Brazil was highlighted as the fastest‑growing market, expected to rank tenth worldwide and generate US$35.8 billion, a 13.8% increase. Meliá Hotels International used the convention to showcase its corporate‑travel and MICE offerings, underscoring its strategy to expand services for business travelers across key markets.