A March 2010 report by Bernstein Research states that technical advances in video conferencing have moved the capability to an entirely new level over the last 18 months, so that it now has the potential to fundamentally impact business travel.
Based on the success of telepresence among early adopters, the firm predicts that 70% of internal travel and 10% of external travel could be replaced over the next 10 to 15 years, resulting in an aggregate reduction of 21% in corporate travel spending.
The report also said that about 30% of the estimated 6 million to 8 million conference rooms in the U.S. will be telepresence-enabled over the next five years.
Approximately $30 billion will be spent in the U.S. on telepresence over the next 10 to 15 years, and 46% of that will come from small companies. Already, major hotel chains, including Marriott International and Starwood Hotels & Resorts, have begun offering telepresence suites in hotels in heavy business markets, such as Chicago and Hong Kong.
(Travelmarketreport.com, August 2010)
