Where are Indians travelling for business?
While India’s tech sector is still the major driver of India’s business travel; recent data by American Express Global Business Travel reveals the top destinations booked by Indians for business; domestically as well as globally.
Outside the Asia-Pacific region, the United States is still the most popular hub for the Indian business travellers. Seven US cities were listed by the American Express GBT in the top 10 global destinations beyond the APAC. The strong technological links between India and the United States especially cities such as San Francisco and New York have gone past Singapore. London ranks number one in the chart when Indians moving outbound for business travel is considered.
When considering destinations in India, Delhi, the capital of the country has grown from its role as India’s political hub to a key corporate hub for the country as well. Mumbai remains the nation’s key financial district, with many financial services and professional services firms having regional headquarters there. Bangalore is a leading technology hub, while Chennai maintains strong business travel traffic as a car manufacturing hub. The report also highlights the city of Lucknow at the 12th spot. However, the introduction of special economic zones for IT companies and the development of a major business park will likely see Lucknow rise in domestic rankings in the future.
Top 10 domestic destinations | |
Rank | Destination |
1 | DELHI |
2 | MUMBAI |
3 | BENGALURU |
4 | CHENNAI |
5 | HYDERABAD |
6 | PUNE |
7 | KOLKATA |
8 | AHMEDABAD |
9 | COCHIN |
10 | GOA |
Travel bookings shows huge demand
“This is a hugely exciting time for India from a business travel perspective. India is progressing up the international value chain and has expanded from traditional outsourcing to advanced technology and product development, alongside many other areas of business. It is widely thought that India produces the most engineers in the world and they are of high value to many nations who need large scale support,” said Elyes Mrad, Managing Director, International, American Express Global Business Travel.
Encompassing all air bookings made directly with GBT for India-based travellers from June 2016 to May 2017, the travel destinations report provides a snapshot of business travel flows within, and from India. Delhi remains the top destination for domestic business travel while London remains the number one destination for international business travel.
Top 10 international destinations including APAC | |
Rank | Destination |
1 | LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM |
2 | NEW YORK, UNITED STATES |
3 | SAN FRANCISCO, UNITED STATES |
4 | SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE |
5 | AMSTERDAM, NETHERLAND |
6 | SEATTLE, UNITED STATES |
7 | DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES |
8 | CHICAGO, UNITED STATES |
9 | BANGKOK, THAILAND |
10 | HONG KONG, CHINA |
London, New York and San Francisco dominate the top three destinations for international business travel outside of Asia-Pacific, as well as overall. Seemingly reflective of softening business sentiment locally, Singapore has dropped from number two to number four in annual rankings. The rise of New York and San Francisco in India’s business travel rankings appears to be a result of growing links between India and the US’s technology and engineering industries.
More US travel
Despite the immigration reforms, the recent protectionism practised by the US President, tariff turmoil and uncalled for nationalist radicalism rampant in America, the report from American Express show that it hardly affected the business travelling Indians. While Indians travel to the US for Silicon Valley meetings, the number of business travellers hardly deterred amidst the supremacy race. In fact, the last year bookings show that US cities such as Seattle and Chicago have also climbed to the top 10 cities list.
“Many Indian companies are growing internationally, acquiring companies and creating jobs. The nation’s thriving startup culture is driving many innovative technologies. This is evident in Silicon Valley, where entrepreneurs of Indian origin now make up a significant percentage of the community,” Elyes added.