India leads the next wave of corporate travel growth

Rising business travel budgets are creating new opportunities for hotels in fast-expanding global markets

Global corporate travel spending continues to accelerate, and the growth is increasingly coming from markets outside the traditional power centers. New analysis from Booking.com for Business shows that India recorded the world’s fastest growth in business travel spending, while the United States remains the largest market by total volume. The findings highlight how companies are investing more heavily in international expansion, in-person meetings, and distributed teams despite ongoing economic uncertainty. For hoteliers, the shift signals that corporate demand is evolving geographically — and that future business travel growth may increasingly come from emerging outbound markets in Asia and beyond.

Key takeaways

• India is becoming a major source market for business travel: India recorded 15% annual growth in corporate travel spending, reaching $43 billion, as companies expand internationally and manage increasingly global workforces.
• The US still dominates total corporate travel demand: Despite slower relative growth, the United States remains the world’s largest business travel market with nearly $395 billion in annual spending — more than double the combined spend of India, the UK, and South Korea.
• Corporate travel recovery is continuing: Global business travel expenditure reached $1.57 trillion in 2025, and most corporate travel buyers expect budgets to increase again during 2026.
• Face-to-face meetings are driving hotel demand: The report suggests companies continue to prioritize in-person client meetings, partnerships, and relationship-building despite the widespread adoption of virtual collaboration tools.
• Asian business travel growth is accelerating: South Korea matched the UK with 14% annual spending growth as companies diversify into new international markets including the US and Europe.
• Hotels may need to rethink source markets: Business hotels that traditionally focused heavily on US and European corporate accounts may increasingly benefit from targeting Indian and broader Asian corporate travelers.
• Advance booking and policy management are becoming more important: Companies are placing greater emphasis on cost control, encouraging earlier bookings and more flexible travel schedules to reduce airfare and accommodation costs.
• Travel technology is gaining strategic importance: Businesses are increasingly using travel management platforms to monitor spending, compare suppliers, and improve visibility over travel budgets — a trend that could further influence how hotels distribute and price corporate inventory.

Source: Booking.com for Business, GBTA

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