Australian cities are among the most expensive in the world for business travel with Brisbane in pole position, according to a new report.
The research by Concur found four Australian cities ranked in the top 10 most expensive cities for business travel. Brisbane came first, Sydney third, Perth fourth and Melbourne seventh.
The Queensland capital jumped from 7th place in last year’s report, with the sudden increase tied to the mining investment boom.
‘With the city still in the midst of the mining-related construction boom, accommodation costs have contributed significantly to its position at the top of the lost,” Concur executive vice president and general manager APAC, Michael Eberhard, said.
“These increases are influenced by the influx of FIFO (Fly In Fly Out) workers to the city, and the growing importance of corporate hospitality to the Queensland economy.”
Meanwhile, Sydney was the only Australian city to rank in the top 25 most visited international cities for business travel coming in at 17th place.
“With the Australian dollar continuing to suffer, corporate travellers are having to not only contend with poor exchange rates, but also significantly higher dining and entertainment costs,” the report said.
Sydney was the most expensive city to eat with the price of a meal averaging US$70 per person, while a meal in Paris was only US$49 a head.
Nonetheless, companies visiting Australia spent 4.47% less on dining and 14.77% on entertaining in 2012 than the previous year.
