Business travel is booming, continuing its growth despite a good deal of uncertainty. Since March of this year, domestic travel in the U.S. is up 5-percent compared to last year, showing that companies continue to invest in sending employees around the country to make deals, establish partnerships and nurture opportunities face-to-face.
And a new report from Corporate Traveler and FCM Travel—based on a comprehensive analysis of flight bookings—highlights the top destinations booked by U.S. business travelers, and some cities are heating up fast.
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New York leads the pack, as always—with its world-class transport, wide range of accommodations and access to various industries and international markets, the City That Never Sleeps is unsurprisingly a major hub for business travel. In the new ranking, NYC is followed by other major metropolises, including Chicago, Boston, Dallas and Las Vegas,. These urban powerhouses remain essential hubs for finance, tech, healthcare and events.
But Vegas, in particular, is having a moment—business travel to the Entertainment Capital of the World is up 26-percent year-over-year, per the study, thanks to a surge in conferences and conventions.
Just outside the top five, Washington, DC, Los Angeles, Houston, Orlando and Atlanta round out the top ten. Orlando (seeing a 19-percent increase) and Nashville (up 17-percent) have seen the biggest jumps in growth, a sign that business travelers are expanding their reach and tapping into fresh markets.
From boardrooms in midtown Manhattan to breakout sessions in Las Vegas, America’s top cities are clearly buzzing with opportunity and business deals.
Check out the full list of 20 top business travel destinations below:
1. New York, NY
2. Chicago, IL
3. Boston, MA
4. Dallas, TX
5. Las Vegas, NV
6. Washington, DC
7. Los Angeles, CA
8. Houston, TX
9. Orlando, FL
10. Atlanta, GA
11. Phoenix, AZ
12. Denver, CO
13. San Francisco, CA
14. San Diego, CA
15. Philadelphia, PA
16. Nashville, TN
17. Charlotte, NC
18. Seattle, WA
19. Detroit, MI
20. Minneapolis, MN