^{Photo: The New York Times}

While leisure travel to the United States has seen a decline in 2025, business travel continues to show stability, underscoring the country’s role as a key hub for global corporate activity, according to a recent report from SAP Concur.

U.S. Maintains Top Spot for Business Travelers

In the first half of 2025, the United States remained the most popular international destination for business travelers, accounting for 15% of all global business air travel bookings. This figure is nearly double that of Germany (7.7%) and the United Kingdom (7.6%), which ranked second and third, respectively.

Travel between Canada and the U.S. also stayed steady, with nearly 80% of Canadian outbound business trips directed to the United States. Despite geopolitical tensions and fluctuating trade relations, Canadian international business bookings increased slightly by 0.18% compared with the same period in 2024.

The top international business travel destinations for the first half of 2025 include the U.S., Germany, U.K., Canada, France, Spain, Netherlands, Mexico, China, and Italy.

Inbound Business Travel Shows Modest Growth

Business travel into the United States saw a small year-on-year increase of 1% in the first half of 2025. Charlie Sultan, president of Concur Travel at SAP Concur, noted that while this growth is below the global business travel increase of 2.6%, it remains consistent with seasonal trends and overall expectations.

After a strong 2024—when domestic business trips grew by 3% and international travel surged nearly 6%—the U.S. continues to attract corporate travelers seeking stability, infrastructure, and connectivity.

Outbound U.S. Business Travel Declines

On the other hand, American companies are booking fewer international business trips. Outbound U.S. business travel declined 2.3% in the first half of 2025, with a 1% drop in the first quarter followed by a sharper 3.8% decrease in the second quarter. Analysts attribute this to seasonal fluctuations and continued caution among corporations regarding global economic uncertainty.

The U.S. Travel Association had projected earlier in the year that business travel would recover more slowly than leisure travel, with spending not expected to return to pre-pandemic levels until after 2028.

Airfares Stabilize Amid Rising Demand

Despite increased demand for corporate travel, international airfares remained relatively stable in the first half of 2025, averaging around $1,682 per ticket globally. U.S. business travelers paid the highest rates, with average international flights costing $2,675, compared with $1,950 in Japan and $719 in Italy.

Airfares on routes between the U.S. and Canada also normalized after fluctuations earlier in the year, averaging $997 in the first quarter and rising to $1,100 by June.

Outlook for the Remainder of 2025

The data suggests that while leisure travel faces headwinds, corporate travel to the United States is maintaining momentum. Companies continue to prioritize meetings, conferences, and cross-border business operations, reinforcing the U.S. as a critical destination for international commerce.

With travel trends stabilizing and airfares remaining manageable, the second half of 2025 may continue to see steady business travel inflows, even as leisure tourism works to recover from recent declines.

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