Global business travel is continuing its recovery in 2025, with new analysis from SAP Concur revealing where travellers are flying, how much they are spending, and which destinations are attracting the highest volumes.
According to the latest SAP Concur Global Business Travel Survey, 89% of business travellers, 93% of travel managers and 90% of CFOs expect their organisation’s travel budgets to increase or remain stable this year. To test whether confidence was translating into real demand, SAP Concur analysed bookings made through its Concur Travel platform between 1 January and 30 June 2025 and compared them with the same period last year.
The data shows that international business travel volume rose 2.6% globally in the first half of 2025. The increase was more pronounced in the first quarter, where bookings climbed 4.5% year on year, compared to a marginal 0.6% rise in the second quarter.
The world’s top business travel destinations
The United States remains the number one destination for business travel, accounting for 15.3% of all international trips in the first half of 2025. Germany and the UK followed, representing 7.7% and 7.6% of global business travel respectively. Rounding out the top ten destinations were Canada, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Mexico, China and Italy.
Travel to the U.S. in particular reflects its continued role as the hub of global commerce, though the data also suggests a strong resurgence in European markets.
Despite geopolitical uncertainty and tariff pressures, average international ticket prices remained relatively stable. After peaking at $1,688 in the first quarter of 2024, the average landed at $1,681 in Q1 2025 and $1,684 in Q2.
That stability is significant given that some regions continue to pay considerably more for long-haul travel. U.S. business travellers paid the highest fares at an average $2,675 per ticket, reflecting the greater distances involved. Japanese travellers averaged $1,950 per ticket, while Italian travellers, staying largely within Europe, averaged $719.
From the UK, the U.S. continues to dominate, accounting for 20% of outbound business trips. Germany took second place at 13%, followed by the Netherlands at 7.7%. Spain, Ireland, Switzerland, France, Italy, Denmark and India completed the top ten destinations for UK business travellers.
Travel volumes from Britain were broadly flat compared to last year, up just 0.5%. As with global trends, the first quarter was stronger, with volume up 2.5% year on year, while the second quarter declined by 1.6%.
However, airfares from the UK have risen sharply. The average fare in Q1 2025 was $1,477 per ticket, a 6.2% rise year on year. In Q2, the average climbed to $1,460, up 7.8%.
SAP Concur notes that the first quarter remains the anchor of the global business travel calendar. While Q2 volume fell 8.4% compared to Q1, the early months of the year traditionally deliver the heaviest travel activity.
“While we continue to track emerging trends through our market-leading booking platform, one thing is clear: business travellers are back in motion,” said Charlie Sultan, president of Concur Travel at SAP Concur.
“Encouragingly, 94% of them say business travel is either helpful or essential to succeed in their role. That’s a powerful signal that travel remains a key driver of business performance.”