Source = American Express Global Business Travel USA dominates business travel from AustraliaAustralian business travellers are most frequently travelling to cities in the United States (US) when travelling outside of Asia Pacific (APAC), according to data from American Express Global Business Travel (GBT).  The strengthening US economy appears to be driving an influx of business travellers to many key US cities, with seven out of the top ten international locations beyond Asia Pacific being located in the US.Encompassing all air bookings made directly with GBT for Australian-based travellers between March 2014 and April 2015, the travel destinations report provides a snapshot of business travel flows within, and from, Australia.  Sydney, Singapore and London emerge as the top destinations for domestic, APAC, and international business travel outside APAC, respectively. Singapore, Auckland and Hong Kong emerge as the top three international destinations, highlighting the dominance of regional centres for Australian business.“Singapore remains the leading business hub of Asia-Pacific, and with many large corporations having headquarters there, and we anticipate that it will remain a top international destination for Australian business travellers for some time to come,” said David Reimer, General Manager, American Express Global Business Travel, APAC.“The biggest change over the last twelve months is the growing dominance of the US as a priority market for business travel beyond APAC. While US cities comprised less than half of the top ten in 2013-2014, we’ve now seen that number increase to seven out of the top ten this year. This indicates the growing importance of the US to Australian businesses.”Asia remains the focusWhen looking at the rankings for total international business travel from Australia, countries within Asia remain the primary focus. London is the highest ranked destination outside of Asia, followed by New York. The top five rankings remain unchanged from the previous year, however The Philippines is a new listing to this year’s top ten rankings, coming in at ninth.US dominates outside of APACNorth America has become an increasingly attractive destination for Australian business travellers over the last two years. Five out of the top ten business travel destinations outside APAC in 2013-2014 were North America cities, and this year that number has risen to seven out of the top ten cities. London maintains a strong lead on its number one ranking outside of Asia Pacific, however the UK, Germany and Netherlands are the only European nations to make the top ten rankings. Paris, previously in the top 10, dropped out of this year’s rankings.Singpore leads Asia PacificSingapore remains the top APAC business travel destination for Australian business travellers, followed by Auckland and Hong Kong. As New Zealand’s financial centre, Auckland remains an important destination for many global technology, pharmaceutical, and professional services companies, headquartered in Australia but with operations in New Zealand.Bangkok has dropped out of the top ten this year, most likely as a result of the political unrest which occurred in the country in 2014. While Seoul was not included in the top ten rankings for 2013-2014, it is ranked at eighth in this year, suggesting it’s continued emergence as a technology hub in Asia and globally.Sydney remains number oneThe most-booked domestic destination for Australian business travellers was, unsurprisingly, Sydney, followed by Melbourne, Brisbane, and Perth. These rankings are consistent with rankings from 2013-2014. read more