Six of the top 10 cities outside of the Asia Pacific (APAC) region which are traveling to Australia for business are U.S. cities, according to newly released data from American Express Global Business Travel (AmEx GBT).
Australia’s strong business ties to the U.S., particularly San Francisco and New York, continue to remain a key travel driver, according to AmEx GBT. In addition a weaker Australian dollar has increased tourism to Australia and resulted in greater connectivity, further enabling opportunities and demand for business travel.
Here are the top 10 cities visiting Australia for business, excluding APAC.
- London
- New York
- Los Angeles
- San Francisco
- Paris
- Houston
- Chicago
- Amsterdam
- Dallas
- Dubai
The travel destination data, which encompasses all air bookings made globally through AmEx GBT between March 2016 and Feb. 2017 for travel to Australia, provides a snapshot of business travel flows into the country. Singapore remains the top city of origin within APAC, and London outside the region.
“Amidst all the commentary regarding the impact of U.S. and U.K. politics and changes in regulations, there has not been a noticeable impact on business travel between the U.S and Australia,” said Jo Sully, vice president and general manager, American Express GBT, Australia. “Considering the high number of multinational organizations operating in Australia, the need for travel between the U.S. and Australia is unlikely to be affected in any meaningful way in the immediate future. We have, however, seen a greater demand for up-to-the-minute information from companies as they navigate through changing regulations and policies.
“That being said, it will be interesting to see how current global political conditions impact international business travel related to meetings and events,” Sully added in his analysis of the data. “When large groups are required to travel for a conference or other large-scale event, issues such as the recent travel bans and electronic devices bans in the U.S. may drive people to consider alternative destinations.
“If Australia continues to position itself as a welcome destination for business travelers, there is scope for us to benefit from a rise in meetings and events spend and business traveler tourism dollars.”
Cities within APAC make up the majority of the top 10 visiting Australia for business, with proximity playing a factor. London is the highest ranked destination outside of APAC for business travel, followed by New York.
Lists of top international and APAC cities visiting Australia for business are available here.
