Business travel shifted toward intention and efficiency.
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The global business travel market, valued at $1.1 to $1.4 trillion in 2023-2024, is projected to exceed $2 trillion by the early 2030s, driven by globalization, emerging markets and corporate expansion. Forecasts suggest strong growth, with some estimates pointing towards $2.7 trillion by 2032, with key segments like food and lodging along with corporate travel leading the expansion.
With so much at stake, businesses need to be as efficient as possible in order to stay current and competitive. Corporate Traveler, the flagship SME division of Flight Centre Travel Group, announced the release of its Business Travel 2025 Year-in-Review, an annual report delivering a comprehensive retrospective of the key trends, behaviors and destinations that defined the business travel over the past year.
Business travelers often choose midscale hotels near business hubs.
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Purpose-Driven Business Travel
One of the key trends highlighted in the report was a shift toward more intentional and efficient travel. Trips were increasingly purpose-driven and shorter in duration, averaging 2.5 days, with a rise in bookings at midscale hotels near business hubs to reduce transit time and improve productivity.
- Single-day travel accounted for 23.6% of all trips in 2025
- Monday was the most common travel day of the week (33%), followed by Tuesday (19%)
“What stood out most in 2025 wasn’t a return to volume, but a shift toward intention,” explains John Van den Heuvel, President, Corporate Traveler USA. “Companies traveled with clearer purpose, sharper cost discipline, and a stronger focus on outcomes — and when travel is managed well, the return is real.”
He adds that 2025 was a strong year for business travel — defined by steady growth, continued innovation and adaptability amid an evolving industry. “As demand increased and more companies embraced the value of in-person connection, we’re pleased to share our annual report to help organizations better understand the trends shaping the industry and transform their travel programs into drivers of sustainable growth,” he says.
The findings are based on an analysis of more than 700,000 bookings made in 2025 by Corporate Traveler’s U.S. clients across the air, hotel, train and car rental markets, offering an accurate representation of the SME sector. Corporate Traveler is the flagship SME corporate travel division of Flight Centre Travel Group, operating in six global markets. Established in 1993 as Flight Centre Travel Group’s first corporate brand, the business travel management and solutions provider offers personalized service, expert tailored advice, dedicated travel consultants and advanced booking technology to over 16,000 business customers globally.
Corporate Traveler customers saved $2 million on business travel.
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Key Findings of the Report
- Savings are soaring despite price surges. Corporate Traveler customers saved $2 million more this year than in 2024, despite prices going up or staying the same. It all adds up to $21 million in savings.
- Business travel delivered stronger ROI in 2025. Customers took over 700,000 trips and achieved an average $1.51 return for every $1 spent, up from $1.31 in 2024, reinforcing that well-managed travel continues to drive measurable business value.
- Travel became more intentional, efficient, and cost-conscious. Trips were shorter (2.5 days on average), highly purpose-driven, and skewed toward midscale hotels near business hubs, reflecting a clear focus on productivity, time savings, and value.
- Technology and automation reclaimed time — without replacing people. Modern business travelers increasingly demand end-to-end digital solutions that save time and reduce friction throughout their journey, so Travel Arrangers can focus their time on more complex travel.
- Travel patterns shifted toward secondary markets and smarter global expansion. Rising costs and limited supply at hotels in major city centers are driving companies to book hotels in secondary cities or countries in close proximity to major city centers.
New York City is the top destination for business travelers.
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Top Destinations and Routes for Business Travel
The report identifies the most traveled to cities and routes in 2025, featuring a detailed overview of activity across each major travel category. Based on total flight bookings, the top five U.S. cities were New York, Boston, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Chicago, with each recording year-over-year growth. Air travel remained concentrated along major coastal corridors, as the busiest domestic routes were JFK-LAX, BOS-SFO, JFK-SFO, LAX-JFK and SFO-EWR.
Internationally, London led as the top overseas destination, followed by Paris, Amsterdam, Dublin, and Athens, with London Heathrow serving as the anchor airport for all five of the busiest international routes.
Hotel booking patterns closely mirrored air travel trends, as the top U.S. cities for accommodations were New York, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, and Houston. Train travel was largely focused on the East Coast, with all top five U.S. rail routes passing through New York’s Penn Station. Washington, D.C., Route 128 in Massachusetts, Boston and Philadelphia rounded out the most traveled rail corridors in 2025.
Green Bay Wisconsin experienced a large one-year growth.
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The Rise of Secondary Markets
As organizations navigated ongoing economic volatility throughout the year, Corporate Traveler observed a noticeable shift in the emergence of secondary markets as cost-effective alternatives to major city centers. Rising prices in primary markets prompted increased booking activity in nontraditional destinations, reflecting evolving cost dynamics and localized business growth.
Notable U.S. secondary markets that experienced year-over-year growth include:
- Green Bay, WI: +108%
- Fresno, CA: 95%
- Roanoke, VA: 91%
- Palm Springs, CA: 75%
- Bozeman, MT: 60%
- Sacramento, CA: + 55%
- Las Vegas, NV: +21%
- Phoenix, AZ: +15%
On the international front, cities across Canada, Europe and Mexico also emerged as attractive business travel destinations, including Halifax (Canada), Rotterdam (Netherlands), Ciudad Juarez (Mexico), Southampton (UK) and Tijuana (Mexico).
The cost of traveling by train increased by 7 percent.
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Business Travel Pricing Trends Across Major Industry Sectors
Corporate Traveler also analyzed pricing trends across each of the major industry sectors. While hotel and train costs increased year-over-year, average airfares and car rental costs declined compared with 2024.
Average Prices in 2025
- Flight: $836 (-6%)
- Hotel: $229 (+20.5%)
- Train: $255 (+7%)
- Car Rental: $75/day (-4%)
