New data from American Express Global Business Travel (GBT) has show that the Asia-Pacific region maintains its significance for Singapore’s business travellers, with all 10 of the more frequented international destinations falling within the region.
The latest rankings echo results for the previous two years, with Kuala Lumpur continuing to lead. Despite subdued business travel spend within the financial services sector, key cities such as Hong Kong and Tokyo remain as critical business travel destinations for Singapore’s businessmen.
Sydney has replaced Taipei as the 10th most popular destination.
Top 10 international destinations by ranking:
1. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
2. Jakarta, Indonesia
3. Bangkok, Thailand
4. Hong Kong, China
5. Manila, Philippines
6. Shanghai, China
7. Tokyo, Japan
8. Seoul, South Korea
9. Mumbai, India
10, Sydney, Australia
Source: American Express GBT Singapore point of sale data destination analysis for January – November 2016.
Beyond Asia-Pacific, London leads the destination rankings while San Francisco and New York in the US take second and third positions.
Meanwhile, the study also found that there has been a growing desire among business travellers for alternative means of transportation and accommodation options.
“We are noticing an increased desire for greater traveller choice through more variety in airline options including low cost carrier options, as well as broader hotel choices”, said Carl Jones, vice president, global client management, APAC, American Express GBT.
“While companies are looking at ways to enhance the traveller experience to cater towards younger members of their workforce, it’s important to balance these desires with the realities of travel budgets and what is a realistic policy for your organisation.”
The data, provided by American Express GBT Global Business Consulting, is based on actual bookings through American Express GBT made between January 2016 and November 2016.
