Press release: Slow recovery of business travel between Sweden and the United States says members of the Swedish-American Chamber of Commerce in a new survey

[Washington D.C., USA, November 18, 2021.] Travel is important for business, but the pandemic has taught us that many meetings can take place digitally, and therefore it will take some time after 2022 before business travel resumes after the pandemic. This according to SACC USA’s recurring survey, SACC USA Business Survey, where SACC USA members answer questions about society, economics, and business. This according to the SACC USA Business Survey, which was conducted as USA was opening up for entry in early November.

As USA is lifting its travel restrictions, SACC USA has asked its members how they perceive business travel will develop in the near future. Most of the respondents (68.35%), says Business travel between Sweden and the USA will not return to normal figures until after 2022-2023. While most of the respondents (97.04%) think that business meetings in person are important, the pandemic has taught us that some meetings can take place virtually (67.93%).

“We know that many have looked forward to the important in person meetings, but we can also see how the pandemic has taught us to conduct both events and business meetings digitally,” says Karin Hammar, Executive Director at SACC USA. “If we look ahead, many meetings will probably remain digital especially those who are about knowledge transfer, but I also think we have learned that the in- person meeting is outstanding for those who want to network in a new market like here in the U.S.”

In response to the question, why some will opt out of business travel in the future, just over half (53.16%) said that they thought it would be for saving money, while 43.46% thought it would be due to health reasons and uncertainties regarding travel restrictions. Only 3.38% think that people will avoid business travel due to environmental reasons.

Almost nine out of ten (86.08%) who responded to the survey also believe that employees will have a 50/50 opportunity when it comes to working remotely or in the office during the second half of 2022.

As travel opens, SACC USA and its chambers will now also be able to begin transferring trainees and interns to the USA and Sweden. Just over eight out of ten members believe that interns and trainees who come from Sweden to the USA also can be good representatives for Swedish-known concepts such as “innovation” and “sustainability”.

“I am happy to see that so many of our members have such a positive view of interns and trainees, and that they can be carriers of Swedish values,” says Karin Hammar. “We have noticed a great deal of interest in our Talent Mobility Program now that visa process and travel is opening up, and we hope that more Swedish companies on site here in the US will take the opportunity to use interns and trainees.”

About the SACC USA Business Survey
The SACC USA Business Survey was conducted between October 12-27, 2021. 237 SACC members across the U.S. participated in the web survey. SACC members bring together a dynamic and diverse mix of entrepreneurs, business leaders, investors, and professional experts, as well as representatives of various organizations and academia. SACC USA is represented in 19 locations in 37 states.

See image of Karin Hammar here, https://www.sacc-usa.org/about-us/team/

For more information, please contact:
Karin Hammar, Executive Director, SACC USA
+1-202-415-1899
karin.hammar@sacc-usa.org 

André Persson, CCO, SACC Texas


About Swedish American Chamber of Commerce
The Swedish American Chamber of Commerce (SACC-USA) is a key player in the development of trade relations, investment opportunities, and talent mobility between Sweden and the United States. Our network consists of 19 Regional Chambers across the U.S. and together we serve more than 2,000 members in the U.S. and arrange more than 300 business events a year. We provide you with contacts and potential business partners through events, tailored corporate programs, trade missions, business matchmaking and business intelligence. Additionally, SACC-USA facilitates talent mobility in both direction between Sweden and the U.S. We are designated by the U.S. Department of State as a J-1 visa sponsor for Swedish exchange visitors in the intern and trainee categories. We are approved by the Swedish Migration Board as an international exchange organization that can assist Americans with the application for a Swedish work permit for training. SACC-USA looks forward to welcoming you as a member of our extensive network.

Read more here, http://www.sacc-usa.

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