Australians are spoilt for choice regarding summer sports with international sailing, cricket and tennis events taking centre stage around the country from Boxing Day through January. But one tournament nets more corporate travellers than any other.
According to Corporate Traveller data, the Australian Open attracted a whopping 725 per cent more flight, hotel and ground transport bookings than the Boxing Day Test in 2023. This year’s tournament is predicted to top that by 21 per cent.
The 2023 Australian Open also netted 73 per cent more bookings than the AFL Grand Final and 56 per cent more bookings than the Melbourne Cup last year.
For the 2024 Australian Open in Melbourne, the highest proportion of bookings from a single city came from Sydney (29% of total bookings) followed by Brisbane (16%), Adelaide (9%), Perth (9%), Canberra (2%) and outside Australia (14%).
Game, set and match
The Australian Open is also a clear winner for international corporate bookings.
Corporate Traveller had 89 per cent more international bookings for Melbourne during the Australian Open than the Melbourne Cup, 46 per cent more than the AFL Grand Final and nine per cent more than the Boxing Day Test in 2023.
This year, the top international origin cities for Australian Open business traveller bookings are Auckland, Dubai, Singapore, Los Angeles, Doha, Christchurch and Wellington.
Corporate Traveller Global Managing Director Tom Walley notes bookings for the 2024 Australian Open, which runs across 15 days, are already 21 per cent higher than the company’s 2023 bookings as the ‘bleisure’ trend attracts business travellers.
“Many corporate travellers have booked fares well in advance to avoid holiday airfare price increases,” he said.
“These events are also the perfect opportunity to blend business travel with leisure. With Melbourne being home to several sporting events, business travellers can network and host their clients while also offering tickets as an employee incentive.”
Find out more at corporatetraveller.com.au
