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Geneva and New York named most expensive destinations for business travel

Geneva has proven to be the most expensive city in Europe for business travellers, as London falls three places from last year.

According to research by ECA International, on average the total cost of a standard business trip to Geneva is £554 a day, compared to £448 in London.

“Swiss cities once again dominate the most expensive places for business trips in Europe, with five different locations in the top ten,” said Simon Franklin, daily rates manager at ECA International.

“Switzerland has always been an expensive nation for business travel, and this year is no different as the Swiss franc has performed very strongly.”

Meanwhile, London has seen a drop in the rankings coming in at sixth place in Europe. The City has dropped out of the ten most expensive locations in the world for business travel, overtaken by Paris, Monaco and Basel this year.

Franklin added: “While the price of business travel to London has remained relatively static over the past few years, the strong performance of the euro in the past year has seen costs in other cities such as Paris and Monaco overtake the UK capital. The cost of business travel in the UK overall has continued to fall, with every surveyed UK location seeing a drop in the table.”

“Aberdeen especially illustrates the sudden drop in cost for business travel to the UK, falling from 13th to 39th in the European rankings in just two years. This has been exacerbated by the recent downturn in the oil and gas industry, which has led to a reduction in demand for business travel to the area, as well as having an impact on the local economy.”

New York is the only destination in the world that is more expensive for business travel than Geneva, with a trip costing £611 a day on average.

Franklin commented: “The high demand for hotels in New York is reflected in the premium rate that rooms are currently charged at; averaging £392 per night at a four-star hotel.

“The high cost of hotels and transport, as well as mandatory 15 to 20 per cent tipping policies during meals out, contribute to the US city being the most expensive in the world for business travel.”