European companies are spending considerably more on business travel without making many more trips. New forecasts from the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) put Europe-originating business travel spending at $453.9 billion (€404 billion) in 2026, up 7% from last year. The number of business trips, however, is expected to grow by only 0.7% to around 600 million. The gap between the two figures shows that higher spending is being driven much faster than actual travel volume.
The same pattern can be seen globally, although the difference is slightly smaller. Worldwide business travel spending is forecast to rise 7.2% in 2026, while the number of trips increases by only 1.3%. Higher transportation and travel costs are playing an important role in this difference. Europe remains one of the world's largest business travel markets. It is expected to account for 27% of global business travel spending this year, roughly equal to North America. European travellers will also generate around one-third of the 1.84 billion business trips expected worldwide.
The figures point to a business travel market that remains active despite economic uncertainty, higher travel costs and geopolitical pressure. Companies have not pulled back sharply from face-to-face travel, but they are spending more carefully and paying more attention to the value generated by each journey. For hotels, airlines, destinations and the MICE industry, this creates a different type of growth. Demand is not being driven by a major increase in traveller numbers. Instead, more money is being spent around a relatively stable number of trips.
Central And Eastern Europe Is Growing Faster
Western Europe will continue to dominate the region in total spending. GBTA expects Western Europe to generate $398.7 billion (€354.9 billion) in business travel spending in 2026, compared with $55.2 billion (€49.1 billion) across Central and Eastern Europe. But the smaller market is growing faster. Business travel spending in Central and Eastern Europe is forecast to increase by 10.8%, compared with 6.5% in Western Europe.
Germany remains Europe's largest business travel market, with projected spending of $89.7 billion (€79.9 billion). The United Kingdom follows at $66.7 billion, with France at $50.6 billion, Italy at $44.4 billion and Spain at $29.8 billion. Together, these five countries account for around 62% of Europe's total business travel spending. The figures show that Europe's largest economies still control most of the market, but faster growth further east could gradually create new opportunities for airlines, hotels and business event destinations.
For MICE destinations in particular, this matters because growth in corporate travel can support demand for meetings, conferences, training programmes and client events beyond the traditional Western European hubs.
Client Meetings Remain The Main Reason To Travel
Despite the continued growth of video conferencing and remote work, companies are still sending employees on the road for activities that depend heavily on face-to-face interaction. Client, sales and account management meetings are the leading reason European business travellers give for travelling. Training, project work and conferences or conventions follow.
Around 74% of European business travellers expect to travel the same amount or more in 2026 than they did in 2025. The market also remains strongly regional. Based on travellers' 2025 activity, 63% of business trips were domestic and 37% were international. Overnight travel remains slightly more common than same-day business trips. Fifty-seven percent of trips included at least one overnight stay, while 43% were completed within the same day. The average overnight business trip lasted 3.6 nights. Travel patterns also show Europe's different transport structure compared with other regions. Among surveyed travellers, 43% used a car on business trips, 34% travelled by air and 25% used rail.
This mix gives European destinations several ways to compete for business travellers. Air connectivity remains important for international events, but rail access and regional transport can also influence destination choice, particularly for meetings drawing participants from neighbouring countries.
Business Travel Spending Is Expected To Keep Rising
GBTA expects European business travel spending to continue growing after 2026. Spending is forecast to reach $477.5 billion (€425 billion) in 2027 and rise further to $529.1 billion (€471 billion) by 2030. For destinations, the economic value of these travellers can extend well beyond transportation and accommodation.
Separate GBTA research shows that business travellers generated $15 billion in direct spending in London in 2024, supporting around $24 billion in total economic activity and more than 98,000 jobs. Paris recorded $13.6 billion in direct business travel spending, followed by Amsterdam at $5.6 billion, Frankfurt at $4.7 billion and Madrid at $4.6 billion.
These figures help explain why cities continue investing in convention centres, aviation links and business event acquisition even when overall trip numbers are growing slowly. Business travellers often spend across hotels, restaurants, local transportation, entertainment and professional services. Congresses and exhibitions can increase that impact further by bringing large numbers of travellers into a destination at the same time.
