New research has identified the countries with the highest business travel spend globally, with the United Kingdom ranking fifth place with an annual spend of £45.2 billion.
This comes as the Air Passenger Duty for flights departing from UK airports is set to increase, from 1 April 2026, which could impact business travel budgets in the region.
With this in mind, Booking.com for Business has analysed the Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration data to reveal the countries with the highest business travel spend globally.
The countries with the highest business travel spend globally
The United States records the highest level of business travel spend globally, at £297.4 billion. This reflects the scale of corporate travel taking place across both domestic and international routes, spanning a wide range of industries and regions.
The size of the US market means businesses are managing large volumes of travel, likely across multiple cities and states, contributing to higher overall spend.
China ranks second globally, with business travel spending of £289.6 billion. This level of expenditure reflects the scale of its corporate sector and the volume of outbound and regional business travel linked to international operations and supply chains.
Managing travel across a market of this size involves frequent long-haul and regional trips, contributing to high overall spend
Germany ranks third, with £60.2 billion in business travel spend. As Europe’s largest economy, it supports a high level of corporate travel both within Europe and internationally.2
This includes regular movement between regional business centres, as well as cross-border travel linked to manufacturing, professional services, and international trade.
Joshua Wood, director of Business Travel at booking.com for Business, said: “For businesses, knowing which routes carry the highest volumes of inbound trips is more than a nice‑to‑know statistic – it points SMEs to the corridors with the best connections, backup options, and on‑the‑ground facilities, and the ones where they can often secure better fares and rates.”
He added: “When you fold those insights into a simple travel policy and manage trips through a tool like Booking.com for Business, you can help your business travellers have easier, less stressful journeys while controlling your travel budget and benefiting from exclusive rates.”
You can view the report in full here.
You can also see more insights about business travel to the UK here.
