Back to Business: Brisbane, Melbourne and Mining sector lead the return to the skies
As businesses return to the office and the skies in the new year, Corporate Traveller has reported a flock back to work by the mining and construction industries in January, and there was a surprising domestic destination that led the charge.
Those who were first to the office off the back of the Christmas break were also reported to be lapping up as many ‘bleisure’ opportunities as possible throughout the summer months.
“The new year has certainly begun on an optimistic note for corporate travel, with a notable surge in activity from the mining and construction sectors,” said Corporate Traveller Global Managing Director Tom Walley. Corporate Traveller is Flight Centre Travel Group’s flagship SME travel arm.
“Historically accounting for 20-25 per cent of our corporate travel bookings, these industries have remarkably made up roughly 35 per cent of all corporate bookings in the first month of this year, as they make a speedy return to site.
"In contrast, finance and insurance sectors appear to be slower to return to the runway this year.
“Finance and insurance industries, typically among the top five most travelled sectors throughout 2024, are barely scraping the top 10 for the early weeks of 2025, showing they’re easing into business in the new year.
“Domestically, corporates are snubbing Sydney for the bleisure appeal delivered by Melbourne and Brisbane.
“With the Australian Open running over three weeks in January and attracting corporate crowds, Melbourne took out the top spot as the most booked domestic destination for the month of January.”
It was followed by Brisbane, which had slightly more corporate bookings in January than Sydney.
“Summer in Queensland also appears to be enticing our corporates, along with the importance of the state to the mining and construction industries, who are passing through Brisbane,” Mr Walley said.
“Of course, we do expect this to normalise again in February, and Sydney is still the corporate darling of Australia, but it’s very interesting to see the bleisure trend potentially swaying locational preferences as business travellers ease into the new year.”
The higher-than-average length of stay in January was also a testament to the increasing prevalence of bleisure travel - where business trips are extended for leisure purposes.
The average length of stay averaged seven nights in the first month of the year, up from the six-night average in 2024.
“The Australian summer is really drawing on the bleisure crowd, with the average length of a corporate trip totalling a full week in January,” Mr Walley said.
“It looks like corporates are making the most of their destination as they ease back into things with a weekend away tacked onto the beginning or the end of a business trip.
“This reflects a growing tendency for business travellers to combine work with personal time, particularly during the summer months."
The latest data highlights New Zealand, Singapore, and London as the top international destinations kicking off the year.
Mr Walley attributes these trends to a broader confidence in the return to a more regular business cadence and the adaptable nature of corporate travel responding to new opportunities and changing market dynamics.
