Workforce business travel in the UK is becoming increasingly regional, with nine major cities outside London recording a 12.5% rise in bookings year-on-year, according to new data from workforce travel platform Roomex.
Manchester, Bristol and Birmingham now generate almost as many workforce travel bookings as the capital, narrowing the gap with London by 42% compared with last year . While London remains the UK’s largest hub, its growth rate—7%—lags behind regional centres that now account for more than two‑thirds of demand across Roomex’s top 10 destinations.
Keith Watson, president at Roomex, says the trend reflects a broader shift in where UK business activity is happening. “The story is no longer just about the capital… project work, customer visits and operational travel are increasingly taking people to regional cities, not just head offices in London”.
The wider top 10 includes Northampton, Glasgow, Leeds, Dartford, Oxford and Cardiff, underscoring how workforce travel is spreading across the UK’s business landscape.
For employers, the findings highlight the need to adapt travel programmes to reflect where teams are actually working, particularly as regional connectivity and domestic rail continue to shape business travel patterns.
