BANGALORE: Bangalore has emerged as the most visited city in India for business travel ranked at No. 12 in the 25 most visited cities followed by Mumbai ranked at 20 in terms of number of overnight hotel stays. Bangalore dropped from rank 11 in 2011 to 12 in 2012 with the average spend also dropping from around $258 to around $227 for categories of lodging, ground transport, dining, entertainment, said a report by integrated travel and expense management company Concur in its third annual global report on corporate travel and entertainment (T&E) spend.The spend data was analyzed for nine nations worldwide, including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Australia and India
Mumbai maintained its position at rank 20, however, total average spend dropped from approx. $255 to approx. $238. However, in terms of average transaction amount, Bangalore stood last at no. 25 with $227.83 and Mumbai at no. 23 with $238.37. The above average transaction amount has fallen in 2012 as compared to 2011 for both cities with Bangalore declining from $258.7 in 2011 to $227.83 in 2012 and Mumbai declining from $255.18 in 2011 to $238.37 – it is important to note here that though the spending in dollar terms has declined, the actual spending in rupees may have actually increased owing to the 12.4% decline of the rupee in the said period.
The average percentage spend on lodging (31%) was the highest in India as compared to other APAC countries like Japan (23%), Hong Kong (25%) and Australia (14%). India ranked the lowest in average entertainment spend at 2.44% and the highest being 8.14% in Japan.
The Concur Expense IQ Report also finds corporate travellers spent 93% more on ancillary fees in 2012 ($58 million) than they did in 2011 ($30 million) – challenging companies with nearly twice as much hidden or low-visibility spend.
