The Best Cities for International Business Trips

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02 August 2022

A new study demonstrates the top ten cities around the world that accommodate for business travel.

In 2020, business travel decreased by 61 per cent but still added £382 billion to the economy. According to Deloitte’s corporate travel report, the top drivers for a return to international travel are sales visits, leadership meetings and client project work.

Additionally, popular “work from anywhere models” demonstrated by brands such as Spotify, Twitter and Salesforce have created a new workforce of “digital nomads” who can vary their working location throughout the year. Indeed, in 2020 an MBO Partners study showed that almost 11 million American workers consider themselves “digital nomads”. This is up from 4.8 million in 2018.

 

What Makes a City Suitable for Business Trips?

 

The top 50 most populated cities around the world were scored on key metrics including the cost of a three-course meal, average download speeds and the number of WeWork spaces.

The research, commissioned by Dojo, also took into account average hotel costs and ratings, closest airports, average taxi fares and reported crime rates.

 

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1. Singapore

 

Singapore takes the top spot with an overall index score of 79.3 out of 100. This city is considered a global hub for industries like telecommunications, finance and education. It’s also a popular choice for regional HQs for the Asia-Pacific area, with more than 40 per cent of Fortune 500 companies choosing it as their APAC headquarters.

Singapore has a high average internet speed of 85.4 Mbps and 14 WeWork spaces to choose from.  A three-course meal will set you back £45.

 

2. Seoul

 

Seoul, located in South Korea, came in a close second place with a score of 79 out of 100. This city offers rapid internet speeds of 116.86 Mbps, and is home to 17 WeWork spaces. The average airport rating is 7.66 and hotel rating is a high 8.17 out of 10.

The International Trade Administration warns business travellers that, as traffic congestion is a persistent problem within the city, this should be factored in when travelling to business appointments.

 

Picture: a photograph of Seoul's skyscrapers behind a "Seoul" sign. Image Credit: Pexels

 

3. Tokyo

 

Home to some of the largest companies in technology and the automotive industry, Tokyo comes in third overall with the highest internet speed of 146.53 Mbps. The average hotel rating in this city is 8.21, and it has a very low crime score of 23.37/100.

Corporate Traveller notes that Japan is still very much a cash-based society, so it’s advised that you have cash ready to pay for meals and taxis.

 

4. Delhi

 

Delhi ranks in fourth with an overall index score of 72.3 out of 100. The price of your dinner in Delhi is one of the cheapest costing only £15 and a taxi journey is also affordable at only £1.29. However, the internet speed is just 28.59Mbps which might mean your work takes a little longer than usual.

A survey by OYO, carried out among 1,300 people in June 2022, found that Delhi was the most preferred destination for business travellers in India, closely followed by Bengaluru, Mumbai and Hyderabad.

 

5. Hong Kong

 

Hong Kong followed with an impressive 68.5 points out of a possible 100 making this city the fifth best in the world. Internet speeds of 81.97Mbps are slightly above average.

Hong Kong’s key characteristics include its open trade and investment climate and its proximity to Asian markets.

 

6. Warsaw

 

Poland is a popular location for business processing centres, shared services centres, and research and development operations.

Businesses are attracted to Poland due to its large population, competitive workforce and location affording access to the wider European Union market of 447.7 million citizens.

A night in Warsaw will cost around £61, and a three-course meal averages at £27.66.

 

7. Beijing

 

Scoring 65.3 out of 100, Beijing is home to the largest number of Fortune Global 500 companies in the country.

A major part of Beijing’s economy belongs to the service, financial services and IT sectors.

 

8. São Paulo

 

São Paulo is Brazil’s financial capital and one of the fastest-growing cities in the world. The São Paulo Stock Exchange has become one of the ten largest exchanges in the world in market capitalisation.

 

9. Madrid

 

Approximately 15 per cent of all tourists in Madrid are visiting for business, and the city welcomes more than one million corporate travellers every year.

The city is also seventh in the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) rankings for association meetings by participant numbers and the sophistication of the conference venues.

In Dojo’s list, Madrid scored 62.8 out of 100.

 

Picture: a photograph of Madrid city from a height. Image Credit: Pexels

 

10. Bangkok

 

Rounding off the top ten list is Bangkok, Thailand’s capital. This city has a particular business focus on manufacturing, property, transport and retail.

Business travel is not recommended to Bangkok during monsoon season, but instead during the dry months of November to February.

Picture: a photograph that shows a colourful map of the world on a chalkboard. A hand can be seen holding a toy plane across the North American area. Image credit: Pexels

Article written by Ella Tansley | Published 02 August 2022

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