As borders reopened and restrictions dissolved, business travel came back with a bang in 2022 as Aussie enterprises connected in person again. Auckland was the number-one overseas destination for corporate travellers last year, as it was pre-pandemic in 2019.
Flight Centre Corporate research showed Auckland was the clear favourite for business travellers, followed by Singapore and London as the top three destinations for corporate travel.
Corporate Traveller Global MD Tom Walley said the results demonstrate that business travel is increasingly returning to normal.
“The fact Auckland remained the clear number-one international destination for Australian corporates in 2022 – as it was back in 2019 – is more evidence of that sense of normality,” he said.
“The one major change we saw from 2019 versus 2022 was London in the top three international destinations last year, up from the fourth spot, as business travellers were unafraid to venture to Europe’s economic epicentre for meetings, events, business growth and trade.”
Domestic business travel was once again dominated by the ‘Golden Triangle’ with Sydney first, Melbourne second and Brisbane third – unchanged for 2022 versus 2019.
“The Golden Triangle continues to be the beating heart of corporate travel within Australia and the epicentre of business activity – that’s unlikely to change anytime soon,” Mr Walley said.
The Flight Centre Corporate data also revealed that Mining/Oil/Gas was the top industry for business travel in 2022.
The Government/NFP sector followed – down from the number-one spot in 2019 – and Construction remained unmoved in third place.
“With the vast majority of restrictions now ended globally – with COVID-testing requirements in and out of China for some countries as the one major exception to this – corporate travellers can now look forward to a far smoother 2023.”
“Skills shortages will become more of a focus and where businesses big and small can capitalise if they take advantage of the return to travel,” Mr Walley added.
Discover more business travel trends for 2023 here.
To find out more, head to corporatetraveller.com.au
