These are the world’s most popular destinations for business travel

• Research reveals the locations most popular with those travelling overseas for business in the last year
• The USA is our most frequently visited business partner, with European destinations making up the majority of the remaining top 10
• Popularity was determined using information from the Office for National Statistics combined with comparethemarket.com‘s own travel insurance data

The world’s most popular business travel destinations are revealed by comparethemarket.com research, which looked at business travel insurance policies sold and ONS flight data collected. Each destination was given a combined score out of 10 based on popularity.

While some business destinations are also popular with holidaymakers, others may be less visited by leisure travellers.

comparethemarket.com also looked at what these business hubs offer their visitors, including the cost of a hotel and the local average broadband speed.

Top business hubs

The top five business travel locations will also be familiar to holidaymakers.

1. USA – Home to the largest economy in the world, it’s no surprise that the USA places first for the most popular destination for business travel. Over 1.2 million people travel to the country each year. Growing hubs such as Silicon Valley and the shared language and similar culture lend to a high level of business interaction. The USA has the most expensive accommodation costs, with a mid-range hotel costing £86 per night – but boasts one of the highest fixed broadband speeds.

2. France – With over 1.5 million business travellers per year, France is also a popular destination due to its proximity and relatively cheaper travel fares. Its leading sectors span across manufacturing, tourism and pharmaceuticals. France has the second highest accommodation costs, just behind the USA with a mid-range hotel costing £81 per night.

3. Spain – The UK’s most popular holiday destination, Spain is only slightly less popular when it comes to business travel. With nearly 796,000 people travelling to the country every year for business, Spain also boasts affordable accommodation and travel, making it an extremely appealing destination. Spain has the cheapest accommodation cost with a mid-range hotel only costing £47 per night.

4. Germany – Despite being the largest economy in Europe, Germany come in 4th place with Brits travelling for business. It has one of the highest numbers of business travellers per year, around 1.6 million people travel there yearly. The country is internationally recognised for its production of electronics, machinery and vehicles. Surprisingly, Germany has one of the lowest fixed broadband speeds, but a reasonable accommodation cost of around £51 per night.

5. Netherlands – Rounding off the top five is the Netherlands, which is home to brands such as ING Group and Shell. Over 1.1 million people travel to the country each year. You can expect to pay up to £64 per night for accommodation in the Netherlands, the third most expensive out of the top five.

Business-focused destinations

While many of the locations popular for business are also popular with Brits on holiday, some appeal primarily to professionals on work trips. These countries are among the 15 most popular for business travel but not among the 15 top destinations for UK travel in general:

• UAE – With Dubai home to a large number of entrepreneurs, the UAE has become popular for business travel in the past 20 years.
• Sweden – The 10th most popular destination for business travel, Sweden doesn’t even make the top 25 destinations most travelled to for leisure.

For more of the most popular business travel locations across the world, see the rest of the results on comparethemarket.com.