Leisure journey to the U.S. is down, however enterprise bookings are up

Leisure journey to the United States is down this 12 months, however enterprise journey to the nation stays steady, in keeping with a report from SAP Concur.

The United States was the highest vacation spot for world enterprise vacationers within the first half of 2025, in keeping with the report.

Some 15% of all enterprise air journey bookings had been to locations within the U.S., it confirmed. That’s twice the variety of enterprise bookings to Germany (7.7%) and United Kingdom (7.6%), which ranked second and third, respectively, within the report.

Business journey between Canada and the U.S. additionally held regular, with the U.S. accounting for practically 80% of outbound enterprise journeys made by Canadians, in keeping with the info.

Despite crumbling relations between the 2 nations, worldwide enterprise reserving quantity rose barely (0.18%) in Canada within the first half of 2025 from the identical interval final 12 months, it confirmed.

The report confirmed the highest worldwide locations for enterprise vacationers within the first half of 2025 had been:

1.      U.S.
2.      Germany
3.      U.Okay.
4.      Canada
5.      France
6.      Spain
7.      Netherlands
8.      Mexico
9.      China
10. Italy

The report, mixed with information from BCD Travel and American Express Global Business Travel, as reported by Skift Friday, present that the detrimental journey sentiment rippling by means of Canada, Western Europe and a few elements of Asia is not affecting these with company pursuits within the United States.  

“Business travel to the U.S. seems to be business as usual,” mentioned Charlie Sultan, president of Concur Travel at SAP Concur. “In the first half of 2025, we saw a 1% increase in inbound business travel volume to the U.S. compared to the first half of 2024.”  

This slight improve is decrease than the two.6% year-on-year rise in world enterprise journey quantity, which dropped from 4.5% within the first quarter to 0.6% within the second quarter, the report confirmed. However, the decline — which got here as Trump’s tariff insurance policies continued to rile world economies — comports with regular seasonal journey patterns and is “not surprising,” in keeping with Concur’s report.

“In 2024, we really started to see business travel come back. Domestic trips were up about 3%, and international trips grew nearly 6% globally,” Sultan informed CNBC Travel. “With that kind of momentum, we expected the trend to continue into 2025. And so far, that’s what we’re seeing.”

However, whereas enterprise journey to the U.S. could present few indicators of slowing down, the identical can’t be mentioned of outbound bookings by American enterprise vacationers.

International enterprise journey from the U.S. dropped 2.3% 12 months on 12 months within the first half of 2025, in keeping with the report.

The first quarter noticed a modest year-on-year drop of 1%, adopted by a bigger 3.8% drop within the second quarter, it confirmed.

But once more, that “is consistent with seasonal trends,” the report mentioned.

In January, the U.S. Travel Association projected enterprise journey can be “slower than other verticals” in 2025, with spending not expected to return to pre-pandemic levels until after 2028.

International airfares for enterprise vacationers held regular within the first half of 2025 regardless of rising demand, with tickets averaging round $1,682, in keeping with SAP Concur.

American enterprise vacationers paid essentially the most for worldwide flights, with tickets averaging $2,675, in contrast with $1,950 in Japan and $719 in Italy, the info confirmed.

Airfares between U.S. and Canada additionally returned to 2024 ranges this summer season, in keeping with the report. Average fares fell to $997 within the first quarter, earlier than returning to $1,100 by June, it confirmed.

— CNBC’s Kaela Ling contributed to this report.