Sydney falls behind as international SMEs choose Brisbane

Brisbane has superseded Sydney as the top destination of choice for international small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) travelling to Australia. New data released by Corporate Traveller, the SME division of the Flight Centre Travel Group, has revealed more than 24% of bookings into Australia were by Brisbane rather than any of their interstate rivals for the first nine months of 2023. The statistics showed that Sydney was the number one arrivals point between 1 January – 30 September 2022 (4% more than Brisbane), but the same time frame in 2023 saw a 3.8% margin over the other states. Melbourne remained in third place in both years, with visiting industries including manufacturing, services, construction, mining/oil/gas, and education. Tom Walley, the Australia-based global managing director of Corporate Traveller, comments: “Ever since the Commonwealth Games visited the Gold Coast, investment in Brisbane has taken off exponentially, with more and more major domestic and international businesses choosing to move their operations and HQs to the Sunshine State capital. “It’s an incredibly exciting time for Brisbane with the city hosting the Games in 2032, the Queen’s Wharf development not too far away from completion and multiple bridges under construction that’ll boost connectivity across the city.” Brisbane Airport Corporation CEO Gert-Jan de Graaff says this latest data is good news for Queensland: “This is clear evidence that companies globally are viewing Brisbane as a great place to do business, and a wonderful destination to visit. “Travel time from Asia, North America, and the South Pacific is shorter to Brisbane than Melbourne and Sydney. With Australia’s most connected domestic network, it’s easier for people from across the country to gather in Brisbane to meet overseas clients.”