This study investigates the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on interurban business trips (IBTs). A total of 42 individuals employed in 42 private firms or public organizations covering 16 industries in Japan were interviewed from March 19 to June 16, 2021. In addition to their business activities, interviewees were requested to provide information on pre-pandemic IBT practices, changes in employee IBT organizational regulations caused by the pandemic, and their IBT preferences for the post-pandemic period. The results revealed that many firms significantly reduced IBTs in Japan during the pandemic. They also showed that small- and medium-scale organizations reduced the frequency of IBTs more than large-scale organizations, while tourism businesses and medical/welfare services organizations reduced the frequency of IBTs more than other industries. Many organizations preferred to reduce the frequency of IBTs in the post-pandemic period compared with the pre-pandemic period by using video conferences. As business travel accounts for 45% of railway users and 32% of air transportation users in Japan, the expected decline in IBTs could negatively affect ridership during the post-pandemic period.
Interview-Based Analysis of Impacts of COVID-19 on Interurban Business Trips in Japan