Our new “Cities & Trends Report” reveals which destinations European business travelers fly to the most.
Germany and Spain follow the U.K. in our ranking of most popular destination countries for European business travelers. The United States (U.S.), China and India were the leading intercontinental destinations.
These rankings are based on flight tickets booked by BCD Travel clients in 2017 in a range of European markets.
Top three business travel destinations in 2017
Intra-European | Intercontinental | |
1. | United Kingdom | United States |
2. | Germany | China |
3. | Spain | India |
London defied concerns about the impact of the U.K.’s plans to the leave the EU (Brexit), keeping its position as the top city destination for business travel within Europe. It was followed by Vienna and Amsterdam, with Zurich and Paris completing the list of the top five cities.
New York remained European business travelers’ top destination for intercontinental trips, followed by Shanghai and Dubai. The U.S. accounts for five out of the ten leading destinations, including two cities in California. Major IT and high-technology companies and start-ups continue to draw in business travelers to this state.
The top ten list also includes two Chinese cities: Shanghai and Beijing. This is a result of strong business links with China, which is the EU’s second largest trading partner after the U.S.
Top 10 cities for business travel in 2017
Intra-European | Intercontinental | |
1 | London | New York |
2 | Vienna | Shanghai |
3 | Amsterdam | Dubai |
4 | Zurich | Singapore |
5 | Paris | Beijing |
6 | Barcelona | San Francisco |
7 | Copenhagen | Tokyo |
8 | Milan | Chicago |
9 | Madrid | Boston |
10 | Frankfurt | Los Angeles |
Stewart Harvey, President EMEA at BCD Travel, said: “BCD did recognize a growth in air bookings last year. The top-ranking of certain destinations reflects not only their importance as business centers but also their appeal as meeting and conference hot spots.”