Business Travel Insights: BCD 2025 Asia-Pacific Cities and Trends Edition

Cities &TrendsAsiaPacific 2025 EDITION About the report Top 10 APAC cities Business travel has re-emerged with a vengeance.Changes in remote work policies, the increased use of AIand digital transformative technology, geo-political Top 10 intercontinental cities Top 5 countries Not surprisingly, APAC continues to expand as one of theworld’s most dynamic and competitive markets for globaltrade and travel. According to the Global Business TravelAssociation’s (GBTA)first Business Travel Outlook Poll of2025, APAC led global business travel spend growth last Top 10 routes Top 5 connecting segments, directflights and layover cities Cabin class and flight type BCD’sCities & Trends 2025 Asia Pacific editionshows thetop destinations for APAC business travelers with insightsinto how they travel. The findings are based onBCDclients’ Top 10 rail routes in China and Japan Top 10 APAC cities Singapore’s strategic location and vibranteconomy plays no small part in the city-state’spopularity among business travelers.It remainsunchallenged in the top spot in our top 10 APACcities, with a 20% increase over 2023.Attractivereforms such as low corporate taxes, visa freepolicies, superior connectivity and an overall Tokyo moved up to take the second spot in2024 with a 38% increase, followed by Hong Kuala Lumpur, Shanghai, Seoul, Taipei andJakarta remained unchanged in their positions in Top 10 intercontinental cities The list of intercontinental cities is split between five cities in Europe and fivein North America, and led by Frankfurt, London and San Francisco. San Francisco and New York City are both in the top five in 2024. Using public transportation? Don’t speak loudly, eat or drink–many Southeast Asian countries maintain a deep respect for Don’t smoke while walking; you may be hit with a fine. Tips for APACbusiness travel In a taxi? Tipping is not always customary and may be refused. Your Cultural IQ matters! Business travelers who demonstratecultural awareness may inspire greaterconfidence and rapport with the people Throughout the APAC region, timeliness is key. Buses, trains etc. willleave on time! Plus, queuing is important, so don’t skip in line. Here are some tips to help businesstravelers navigate their trips On trains and public transportation, it’s not necessary to give up yourseat for the elderly, disabled, or pregnant individuals (public transport Top 5 countriesAPAC Intercontinental According to BCD flight transactions, Singaporeonce again was the most visited APAC country.Reciprocal visa free policies with other countriesin Southeast Asia, an increase in flight seatcapacity throughout the region, and an overall China and Japan closely follow Singapore’s lead.Hong Kong notably dropped off, but Malaysiaentered into the top five. Overall, APAC hasalready outpaced its 2019 total seat capacity by0.5% in 2024,signaling strong recoveryin thepost Covid-era across both domestic and 2 2 3United Kingdom 3 4 The top five intercontinental countries remainedthe same from 2023 to 2024, with the U.S. Top 10 routes APAC Intercontinental According to BCD flight data, the most frequentlytraveled routes*for APAC flights primarily depart 1Kuala Lumpur to Singapore2Singapore to Kuala Lumpur3Bangkok to Singapore4Singapore to Bangkok5Singapore to Jakarta6Jakarta to Singapore7Singapore to Hong Kong8Hong Kong to Singapore9Tokyo to Singapore10Singapore to Tokyo 1Bengaluru to Frankfurt2Shanghai to Frankfurt3Tokyo to New York City4Tokyo to San Francisco5Singapore to London Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific are amongthe leaders in international seat capacity acrossthe region. Notably, Singapore Airlines has surpassed its 2019 capacity by 14.1%, placingitself in the top 10 Asia-Pacific carriers achieving Interestingly, in intercontinental routes Shanghai-San Francisco placed as No.10, moving up from Notably, three of the top 10 intercontinentalroutes originate from Bengaluru (to Frankfurt,London and Seattle). In April 2024, India'sinternational airline capacity reached 7.3 millionseats, reportedly an increase of 17% from the 6.2million seatsscheduled in April 2019. This,coupled with rising passenger demand, fleet Top 5 connectingsegments, direct flightsand layover cities 1Singapore Direct routes are often the most sought-after due to convenience andcomfort factors. Travelers increasingly demand value from in-flight service,and many seek premium travel options. Most APAC flights are direct (89%), 2 2 3Bangkok 3Frankfurt In contrast, only 25% of intercontinental travel from APAC is direct. Thiscould be due to flight times, high costs or the lack of direct flights. APAC saw aminimal increasein connecting flights in 2024 from 2023,whereas intercontinental routes saw roughlya 5% decrease in connecting 4Kuala Lumpur The top three layover cities in APAC are Singapore, Hong Kong andBangkok. The top three intercontinental layovers are Dubai, Doha andFrankfurt. No doubt, all these bustli