HAPPY NEW YEAR indeed! According to the American Express Global Business Travel Forecast for 2009, UK travel managers will this year "enjoy" some of the lowest price rises in the world.
Having assiduously singled out Amex' "worst possible scenarios" for each of 15 key national markets, Buying Business Travel discovers plenty of reasons to be smug, if not downright cheerful.
MID-RANGE
HOTEL RATES |
UPSCALE
HOTEL RATES |
SHORT-HAUL
ECONOMY FARES |
LONG-HAUL
BUSINESS FARES |
India |
+20% |
India |
+18% |
Brazil |
+8% |
Japan |
+12% |
Hong Kong |
+14% |
Singapore |
+14% |
China |
+8% |
China |
+10% |
Singapore |
+14% |
China |
+13% |
Japan |
+8% |
Germany |
+9% |
China |
+13% |
Hong Kong |
+12% |
Argentina |
+7% |
Canada |
+8% |
Argentina |
+9% |
Australia |
+9% |
Global average |
+5% |
France |
+8% |
Australia |
+9% |
Brazil |
+8% |
Canada |
+5% |
Nordics |
+8% |
Brazil |
+9% |
Argentina |
+6% |
Germany |
+5% |
Global average |
+7% |
Canada |
+7% |
Global average |
+5% |
Mexico |
+5% |
Australia |
+6% |
France |
+6.5% |
Canada |
+5% |
Singapore |
+5% |
USA |
+6% |
Germany |
+6.5% |
France |
+5% |
USA |
+5% |
Hong Kong |
+5% |
Global average |
+6% |
Germany |
+5% |
Australia |
+4% |
Singapore |
+6% |
USA |
+5.5% |
Mexico |
+5% |
Hong Kong |
+4% |
Mexico |
+4% |
Mexico |
+5% |
Nordics |
+5% |
Nordics |
+4% |
Argentina |
+3% |
Nordics |
+5% |
UK |
+4.5% |
France |
+3% |
Brazil |
+3% |
UK |
+5% |
USA |
+4.5% |
India |
+3% |
India |
+3% |
Japan |
+3% |
Japan |
+4% |
UK |
+1% |
UK |
+2% |