Press Room: Media Releases

BRISBANE – 8 July 2008 : Melbourne has been voted the most popular destination for business travel, according to accommodation website Wotif.com.

One in three (33%) business travellers surveyed chose the Victorian capital city above Sydney (27%), Brisbane (10%), Perth (9%) and the Gold Coast (7%) as part of Wotif.com’s annual business traveller’s survey.

Commenting on the survey results, Wotif.com spokesperson Megan Magill said Melbourne had proved itself to be a consistent favourite amongst business travellers.

“This is the third year in a row that Melbourne has taken the top spot, relegating Australia’s top-selling destination, Sydney, to second place each year,” Magill said.

Tropical destinations also proved popular with business travellers, with the Gold Coast and Cairns pipping Adelaide, Darwin, Hobart and Canberra to take fifth and sixth spot on the list respectively.

London topped the list as travellers’ preferred international destinations with 19% of the vote, followed closely by New York (16%), Hong Kong (14%), Paris (13%) and Singapore (12%).

Over 80% of respondents said they tried to add a leisure component to the beginning or end of their trip.

Favourite Australian destinations for business travel

1. Melbourne
2. Sydney
3. Brisbane
4. Perth
5. Gold Coast
6. Cairns
7. Adelaide
8. Hobart
9. Sunshine Coast
10. Darwin

Favourite international destinations for business travel

1. London
2. New York
3. Hong Kong
4. Paris
5. Singapore
6. Japan
7. Bangkok
8. Auckland
9. Hawaii
10. Dubai

– Ends –

Notes to the Editor: Wotif.com’s Business Travel Survey gained 954 completed responses. 732 of these respondents had travelled for business at least once in 2007. Only responses from these 732 people have been used to calculate these findings.