Canva
Metros with high business travelers and their main destinations
Image of airport on blue sky, reflection of tall building.
Whether emerging tech hubs or venture capital hotbeds, business travel destinations are as diverse as travelers’ backgrounds. Like other industries, though, business travel has changed since the pandemic, with new passenger journeys and destinations, transportation protocols and travel frequency.
With the mass shift to remote work, many businesses have embraced virtual meetings as a viable alternative to in-person meetings that require costly travel. And some companies allow employees to choose whether or not to participate in in-person business trips.
Those trends continue even as businesses nationwide are cutting travel budgets in the name of sustainability. Deloitte in 2010 By 2025, 3 out of 10 companies will have it They reduced their travel budget More than 11%. Although the year A return to pre-pandemic spending levels by the end of 2024 “adjusts for lost growth and inflation suggests that corporate travel may actually be lower than it was before the pandemic,” he said. 2023 study by Deloitte. Business travel remains an integral part of entrepreneurship, providing opportunities for in-person networking, market research and networking.
Using Federal Highway Administration data National Family Travel SurveyTravelPerk It determined which metro areas recorded the most long-distance business trips in 2021, the latest year for which data is available. Metros are ranked in the share of work trips 300 miles or more and rounded to the nearest 10th percentile.
Travel perk
Where do business travelers come from?
Bar chart showing metro areas with the highest share of workers who commute long distances.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, American workers have moved away from major metro cities such as Los Angeles and New York City in part to avoid areas with high population density and transmission rates.
That exodus reflected priorities, as the spread of remote work forced residents to seek affordable housing. Some relocation cities are now home to many commuters Las Vegas and Denver.
Canva
#15. Ann Arbor, Michigan
Aerial view of Ann Arbor, Michigan.
– Share of business trips over 300 miles: 1.0% (708,930 trips)
Top Destination: Raleigh, North Carolina (166,155 trips)
Ann Arbor is home to the University of Michigan, known for its research programs. The institution of Top employer in town, along with it follows the health care system. So, it’s no surprise that Raleigh, one-third of North Carolina’s Research Triangle, is a top destination for Ann Arbor workers.
Canva
#14. Albuquerque, New Mexico
City skyline with mountains in the background.
– Share of business trips over 300 miles: 1.1% (2,124,090 trips)
Top destination: Chicago (922,579 trips)
New Mexico’s largest city is home to a variety of industries, including agriculture in the Rio Grande River Valley and military research and development at Kirtland Air Force Base. The city is home to New Mexico’s main international airport, Albuquerque International Airport, which handles an average of 415 daily departures and arrivals.
Canva
#13. Cape Coral, Florida
Aerial view of Cape Coral residential area in Florida.
– Share of business trips over 300 miles: 1.1% (1,927,728 trips)
Top Destination: Chicago (174,559 trips)
Cape Coral is a southwestern Florida city located near the Gulf of Mexico, making the tourism industry a popular career choice. But it is the main employer. Lee Memorial Health SystemOne of the largest not-for-profit health systems in the state.
Canva
#12. Kauai County, Hawaii
Aerial view of Princeville along Hanalei Bay on Kauai’s North Shore.
– Share of business trips over 300 miles: 1.1% (248,506 trips)
Top Destination: Hawaii County, Hawaii (148,207 trips)
Kauai County is home to a thriving tourism industry. of Top four employers There are hotels and resorts in town led by the Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort and Spa. Located 305 miles away, Hawaii County hosts an annual tourism conference that attracts industry professionals from within and outside the state.
Canva
#11. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
A city with skyscrapers and tall buildings at night with a big ferris wheel brightly lit.
– Share of business trips over 300 miles: 1.2% (1,518,998 trips)
Top Destination: New York, New York (77,495 trips)
Many of the top employers in Myrtle Beach revolve around tourism, as the beach town attracts about 19 million visitors a year. However, the city is home to an emerging aerospace workforce – an industry that has It has grown exponentially over the past decade.– and hosts the Pittsburgh Aeronautics Training Facility.
Canva
#10. Orlando, Florida
A street lined with colorful shops and tall palm trees.
– Share of business trips over 300 miles: 1.2% (7,686,644 trips)
Top Destination: Atlanta (1,101,956 trips)
Home to Disneyland and Universal Studios, Orlando has a tourism-based economy and workforce. The city’s top employer is Walt Disney World Resort It employs more than 58,000 residents.. A major destination for business trips for Orlando employees is Atlanta, home to Hartfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the busiest airport in the world.
Rob Heiner // Shutterstock
#9. Panama City, Florida
View of Panama City and the ocean from a high point.
– Share of business trips over 300 miles: 1.2% (693,145 trips)
Top Destination: Atlanta (129,748 trips)
The economy in Panama City, Florida is primarily driven by the military – the two main employers in the city are Tyndall Air Force Base and Naval Support Activity Panama City. A top destination for business travelers, Atlanta is within a two-hour flight of 80% of the United States population.
Canva
#8. Crestview, Florida
Palm trees against a blue sky with white clouds.
– Share of business trips over 300 miles: 1.2% (960,107 trips)
Top Destination: Dallas (79,798 trips)
Crestview in Okaloosa County is home to a large military presence, attracting related industries such as defense contractors and research and development. The city is located just north of Eglin Air Force Base, the largest US Air Force facility in the world.
Canva
#7. Juneau, Alaska
Aerial view of the city of Juneau in Alaska near a body of water. The city is located on a peninsula.
– Share of business trips over 300 miles: 1.2% (94,311 trips)
– Top Destination: Anchorage, Alaska (40,248 trips)
About half of Juneau’s workers are employed by the federal government, as the city serves as the regional headquarters for several agencies, including the U.S. Forest Service and NOAA Fisheries. A top destination for business travelers from Juneau is also in Alaska-Anchorage, Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport.
Canva
#6. Salt Lake City
A view of downtown on the horizon and the Salt Lake City Airport with snowy mountain peaks in the background.
– Share of business trips over 300 miles: 1.3% (3,902,861 trips)
Top destination: Chicago (384,788 trips)
Salt Lake City is home to the University of Utah, the city’s top employer, with more than 20,000 employees. The economy of the state, in general, is One of the most diverse in the countryAccording to the Hachman index of economic diversity.
Canva
#5. Mobile, Alabama
Mobile city street with tall buildings and palm trees at night.
– Share of business trips over 300 miles: 1.3% (1,495,069 trips)
Top destination: Chicago (822,025 trips)
Mobile, Alabama, has a thriving trade-based economy named as Alabama’s only seaport. The city is home to the first of two Airbus manufacturing plants in the US.
Canva
#4. Denver
A unique tent-like roof designed to resemble the snow-capped peaks of the Rocky Mountains has been lit up.
– Share of business trips over 300 miles: 1.3% (8,779,905 trips)
Top destination: Chicago (553,969 trips)
Denver is powered by a diverse workforce comprised of experts in emerging fields such as fintech, bioscience and energy. The city is experiencing rapid startup growth and ranks 12th in the country. Startup ecosystemAccording to Startup Genome.
Canva
#3. Las Vegas
Las Vegas skyline at sunset.
– Share of business trips over 300 miles: 1.4% (7,699,779 trips)
Top Destination: San Francisco (439,540 trips)
Apart from a nearby military camp, the city’s police department is the largest in the area. Employer of Las Vegas residentsMany hotels and other tourism-related companies followed closely. A top business travel destination, San Francisco is known to professionals and entrepreneurs for its investment capital and investment opportunities.
Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images
#2. Carbondale, Illinois
A “Welcome to Carbondale” sign is displayed in Carbondale, Illinois.
– Share of business trips over 300 miles: 1.6% (516,989 trips)
Top destination: Chicago (451,258 trips)
Southern Illinois University and its affiliated medical system employ more than 10,000 local residents to date. Business travelers tend to gravitate to Chicago, home to the McCormick Place Convention Center, one of the largest in the country and the go-to venue for major conferences and trade shows.
Canva
#1. Ketchikan, Alaska
A small town made up mostly of single families, with a few businesses and a church in the center, it sits in a valley surrounded by mountains and trees.
– Share of business trips over 300 miles: 1.7% (55,461 trips)
Top Destination: Seattle (32,290 trips)
Driven largely by the state’s natural resources and wildlife, Ketchikan’s economy serves as a transportation hub and a major source for local fisheries. The small town is home to Ketchikan International Airport, which directs passengers to cities around Alaska and to Seattle, the city’s most popular destination for business travelers.
Story editing by Jeff Inglis. Copy edited by Curtis Yee. Photo selection by Ania Anteka.
This story originally appeared on TravelPerk and was developed by
Distributed in partnership with Stacker Studios.
