FCM Consulting Launches ‘Travel Impact Index’ to Strengthen the Business Case for Managed Travel

New York, NY (March 12, 2026) – FCM Consulting has launched the Travel Impact Index, a structured assessment tool designed to help organizations and travel managers evaluate and clearly articulate the value of their managed travel program.

The launch comes amid wider uncertainty and material change across the managed travel sector. Though travel manager confidence remains high (recent Institute of Travel Management research found that 84% of business travel professionals feel their roles are secure), many are facing increasing pressure to explain the value of travel in business terms.

Change in corporate travel is being driven by advances in AI and automation, as well as ongoing economic and geopolitical pressures. Senior leaders are therefore applying greater scrutiny to costs, risks and measurable returns.

“Automation and accessible data can give the impression that managed travel is straightforward and easily reduced to price,” said Jo Lloyd, Global Head of Customer Management and Consulting at FCM. “The real value lies in the oversight, risk management and judgments that sit behind the transactions.”

The Travel Impact Index is designed to move the conversation beyond operational reporting and cost alone. It provides a practical framework for assessing program strength across governance, risk management, data visibility, supplier strategy, and stakeholder engagement.

The underlying assessment framework is built around structured questions that explore how programs support business priorities, manage exposure, influence behavior, and enable outcomes. Rather than focusing solely on savings, the Index encourages organizations to examine:

• What risk and corporate liabilities have been avoided?
• What traveler friction has been removed?
• What behavior has changed?
• What business outcomes has travel enabled?

Many travel leaders recognize the importance of demonstrating program value, yet cost remains a dominant metric in board-level conversations. FCM Consulting believes this reflects a lack of practical tools and language rather than a lack of value.

“If the business understands the value of the travel program, it will invest in it,” Lloyd added. "If it does not, it will not. The Travel Impact Index helps travel leaders present their program in terms that senior decision-makers recognize.”

The Travel Impact Index is available globally. More information can be found at http://www.fcmtravel.com/en-us/travel-impact-index