Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane have long held the business travel trifecta in Australia but new booking and spend data suggest Adelaide and Perth could catch up as MICE destinations soon.
Corporate Traveller’s latest data shows inbound domestic travellers to Perth grew by 14 per cent and by 11 per cent for travellers arriving in Adelaide between June – December 2022 and January – July 2023.
Comparatively, domestic travellers arriving in Brisbane grew by only six per cent, followed by seven per cent for Sydney and eight per cent for Melbourne.
Corporate Traveller Global Managing Director Tom Walley said it’s great news for Australia as a whole.
“To have five cities across the country that serve as thriving business hubs will not only grow our GDP but the impact on small businesses and communities across Australia will be exponential,” he said.
MICE & business travel spend on the rise
Perth and Adelaide bring in travellers from the construction and energy industries however, state government investment in events and conferences is also contributing to business travel growth.
It also follows FCM Meeting & Event’s recent worldwide expansion to tap into the $1.36 trillion global MICE sector.
“Both state governments have made an impressive commitment to hosting business events and conferences, drawing thousands of business travellers to the regions for networking, learning and development opportunities,” Mr Walley said.
Perth and Adelaide also topped the table for growth in business travel spend between June – December 2022 and January – July 2023, growing by eight per cent for Perth and seven per cent for Adelaide.
“Perth is well-placed geographically to be a genuine business hub with its ability to connect directly with London and elsewhere,” Mr Walley noted.
“And Adelaide is becoming a particular favourite for SMEs to turn their travel into a bleisure trip by tacking on a visit to the world-famous Barossa, for example.”
Find out more at corporatetraveller.com.au
