Germany retained its position as the most visited country in Europe by business travellers in 2024 – according to BCD Travel’s latest Cities & Trends Europe Report. The data is based on BCD clients’ flight and car rental activity across European markets last year. The report also confirms the United States as the most visited intercontinental destination for European business travellers, with New York City topping the list of intercontinental cities.
Top cities and countries for business travel Among European cities, Amsterdam ranked first, followed by London and Frankfurt. In the intercontinental rankings, eight of the top ten cities were in the U.S., with Dubai and Shanghai also appearing.
Top European countries for inbound business travel: Germany United Kingdom Netherlands France Italy
Top intercontinental countries for European travellers: United States United Arab Emirates India China Canada
Italy showed the strongest growth in inbound travel among European countries, boosted by its economic recovery and expanded flight routes.
Business travel routes and flight classes The most-travelled European route was Amsterdam–London, followed by London–Amsterdam and Frankfurt–London. London to New York City was the most popular intercontinental route.
European travellers booked economy class 92% of the time on intra-European flights, compared to 44% economy and 44% business class on intercontinental flights. “On short European routes, the comfort difference between business and economy is often marginal,” said Olivier Benoit, SVP at BCD’s consulting arm Advito. “For travel managers, the ROI is much higher on economy tickets, especially when flights are under two hours.”
Direct flights and car rental trends Most European flights were direct (85%), compared to 52% of intercontinental flights. Car rentals were booked with 21% of all air bookings, typically for four-day periods.
“Global business travel growth over the past year surpassed expectations, paving the way for continued momentum in 2025,” said Michèle Lawley, regional president of Europe at BCD.
The full Cities & Trends 2025 Europe Report is available via BCD Travel.
