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According to new research commissioned by Jurys Inn, the leading UK and Irish hotel group, London has been named the most business friendly city in Europe, followed closely by Paris and Berlin, with Manchester also ranked in the top five. The research, which surveyed over 1,100 business travellers from organisations and sectors across the UK, has placed the UK as the top go-to-destination for business travel.
The top five friendliest cities for business travellers are: London (1), Paris (2), Berlin (3), Amsterdam (4) and Manchester (5).
In fact, when asked about the most frequented UK city for business, over half (52%) of UK business travellers stated that London is also one of the three UK cities they most frequently visit, followed by Manchester (29%) and Liverpool (19%).
The research found that Cardiff, Aberdeen and Glasgow attract higher than average business travellers who work in the media, marketing, advertising and PR world, suggesting that these locations are fast becoming new creative hubs.
The most common reason that participants have travelled for business in the past year is meetings with clients (40%) and training and development (37%). Other reasons include:
• Conferences (36%);
• Meetings with colleagues in different offices (33%);
• Exhibitions/trade fairs (26%).
When asked about the most common frustration with off-site meetings or conferences, 26% of travellers stated that the programme or agenda was simply ‘boring’ and not of interest, and even more so for those working in education (36%). A fifth (21%) of UK business travellers claim that poor planning is their main grievance, followed by the selection of food and beverages on offer (13%) – which rises to 21% among those in IT and computing.
As organisations across the UK refocus on national and international growth, travel is firmly back on the boardroom agenda as leaders plan on increasing the number of business trips for employees over the next 12 months (34%), or keeping it similar to the previous 12 months (54%).
Commenting on the findings, Jason Carruthers, Managing Director of Jurys Inn said: “It comes as no great surprise that London is the most frequently visited UK city for business purposes, but it is fantastic to see that our respondents consider London the most business friendly city in Europe with Manchester and Liverpool also featuring highly in the ranking. It’s also extremely encouraging to see that Manchester ranked within the top five friendliest business destinations in Europe, ahead of Frankfurt and Brussels.”
“As the environment for business in the UK and Europe continues to flourish, so too has the travel and hospitality industry as it serves the needs of businessmen and women travelling across the globe. However, if the UK hospitality industry fails to capitalise on its position as an established international destination for companies of all shapes and sizes, our European neighbours and cities further afield, will profit from business travellers seeking alternative venues.”
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