A majority of business travellers believe it’s still worth traveling for in-person meetings despite the evolving business environment. Photo Credit: Adobe Stock/Rawpixel.com
More than 95% of US senior business leaders expect business travel to remain the same or increase over the next year, while 93% of companies agree they can attribute business growth to in-person meetings and events.
This is according to the Amex Trendex: Business Travel Edition from American Express, which surveyed 1,000 US business travellers and 500 US business travel decision-makers.
Findings also showed that 88% of business travellers and 92% of decision makers believe it’s still worth traveling for in-person meetings despite the evolving business environment and 87% of travellers say their client relationships benefit more from in-person interactions than virtual meetings.
The survey also identified eight trending destinations for business travel based on year-over-year growth in commercial customer or hotel and airline transactions.
Top international destinations included Kumamoto in Japan, located in Kyushu and known as ‘Silicon Island.’ The report said Kumamoto has historically been a centre for Japan’s semiconductor industry, with 200 leading companies present in the city.
Other destinations included Cork in Ireland, which is reinforcing its status as a business and innovation hub and the coastal city of Malmö in Sweden, which has developed a thriving start-up ecosystem.
Five trending destinations were identified in the US, including Richmond in Virginia, Columbia in Ohio, Charleston in South Carolina, Boise in Idaho and New Orleans in Louisiana.
Fernando Iraola, executive vice-president & general manager, global & US large enterprises at American Express said: “Business travel remains a proven growth driver. More than ever, companies must effectively manage costs and compliance while also meeting employee expectations for a smooth travel experience. With travel as a continued priority, we are seeing ongoing travel and business expansion in cities in the US and around the world, bringing business travel to these destinations and helping their communities flourish.”