Amsterdam was the top short-haul destination for European business travellers in 2024, while New York was the most-visited long-haul city, according to flight data from BCD Travel.
The most visited European business destinations in 2024 remain largely unchanged from the previous year, with London, Frankfurt, Munich and Paris rounding out the top five.
As in 2023, US destinations dominated the list of the top intercontinental cities for European travellers, led by New York and Chicago. Dubai (in third place) and Shanghai (ninth) were the only non-US cities in the top 10 long-haul destinations.
“Although the geopolitical landscape will remain subject to rapid change and complexity, posing concerns for travellers and their companies, the global economy has delivered upside surprises in 2024,” said Michèle Lawley, regional president of Europe at BCD. “Global business travel growth over the past year surpassed expectations, paving the way for continued momentum in 2025.”
Germany was again the most visited country for intra-European travel after displacing the UK in 2023. The Netherlands was in third place followed by France and Italy. Business travel growth in western Europe in 2024 was primarily driven by the real estate sector, followed by the arts, entertainment and recreation sectors, according to BCD Travel.
London-New York was the most travelled intercontinental route last year ahead of Frankfurt-Chicago and London-Los Angeles. Frankfurt-Chicago and London-Chicago rounded out the list of the top five long-haul routes from Europe, which, again, mimic the most-travelled routes from the previous year.
BCD’s data showed that 44 per cent of European business travellers booked business class on intercontinental flights, with a further 44 per cent travelling economy. Premium economy and first class were “booked the least”.
For intra-Europe flights, however, 92 per cent of European business travellers opted for economy class and only 7 per cent flew business. The vast majority (85 per cent) of these flights were direct services, while a sizeable portion of intercontinental journeys (48 per cent) involved a connection.
“On intra-European flights, there are several reasons why most travellers book economy outside of just being mandated by the travel policy,” said Olivier Benoit, senior vice president at BCD’s consulting arm Advito.
“The comfort difference between business and economy is often perceived as insignificant on short-haul flights and many business travellers benefit already from frequent flyer services like lounge access and priority boarding, even in economy.”
Benoit added: “For travel managers, the return on investment is much higher on economy tickets. They’re often half the price of business fares, and 70 per cent of these flights are less than two hours.”