The Best Cities for Business Travel? The Definitive List
Every year management consultancy firm Kearney ranks cities in its Global Cities Report. It’s the who’s who of cities that have the most influence on global business, culture and politics. A report was still published in November 2020 despite cities looking very different that year.
Kearney scores cities based on their level of the factors below, which are totalled to create a rating.
- Business activity
- Culture
- Human capital
- Political engagement
- Information exchange
The East is gaining influence. Beijing and Shanghai climbed up the chart. But the classics New York, London, Paris and Tokyo continue to sit at the top.
Here’s the full list:
- New York City, USA - Home of Wall Street, the United Nations and an increasing number of students and international schools. New York City is viewed as the world's most important city for the fourth year in a row. If you need to head to NYC on business, British Airways is a great option. You’ll also get access to British Airways’ flagship US lounge, the Club Lounge at JFK airport.
- London, UK – This report was published before Brexit measures kicked in. But the UK capital remained a global business hub especially for international meetings and corporate events. First on the list for cities on the rise.
- Paris, France – The French capital is best known for its culture and culinary experiences but also leads the way in think tanks.
- Tokyo, Japan – Business activity drives Tokyo’s slow and steady improvement on the index. In 2018, Bloomberg ranked Japan's sprawling capital the largest city in the world with 37 million people in its metropolitan area.
- Beijing, China +4 Boosted in all categories to overtake Hong Kong. Home to lots of new unicorn companies and has a rising cultural status and educational investments. Beijing is also home to more companies in the Global Fortune 500 than any other city.
- Hong Kong -1 Dips a place but remains one of Asia's biggest financial centres, and a hub for doing business in the Far East, leading in air freight business.
- Los Angeles, USA – Showbiz-land sits high as the home of studios and media. The West Coast location also makes it a key hub for business trade with Asia. It scored highest on sporting experiences within the culture category.
- Chicago, USA - Trading defines Chicago's importance as a major international city, with two of the biggest commodity exchanges based here. Gained ground in the 2020 rankings for an increase in the innovation and economics ratings.
- Singapore -3 Singapore's container port is one of the world's largest, and the city is also a major hub for the oil industry. Third on the list for cities on the rise.
- Washington, USA – Political and institutional heavyweight retains its position in the top 10 as the home to the White House, the Capitol, World Bank and International Monetary Fund.
- Sydney, Australia – Bossing the southern hemisphere as the world half’s most important city according to these rankings. It’s also considered one of the most liveable cities in the world.
- Shanghai, China +7 Growing on scores on entrepreneurship and innovation. Home to the Chinese mainland's main financial centre, Shanghai is also the world's busiest container port, making it a global hub for all kinds of trade.
- San Francisco, USA +9 Another climber helped by an increase in business activity and as home to a growing number of unicorn companies. Saw a drop in categories around personal wellbeing and economics though.
- Brussels, Belgium -2 Politics and bureaucracy define Belgium's capital, the home of the European Union, though it’s relatively small compared to many major cities.
- Berlin, Germany -1 Berlin holds in on the top 15; still proving to be one of the most influential cities in the world. Also, houses one of the oldest stock exchanges in Germany.
- Madrid, Spain -1 A major hub for commerce in the Spanish-speaking world, Madrid is Spain’s second-largest industrial centre. The city jumped 14 places in the economics and innovation categories.
- Seoul, South Korea -4 South Korea's capital continues to hold global importance. It is a centre for commerce and home to many major brands such as Samsung, LG and Kia.
- Melbourne, Australia -2 Melbourne scores highly in the education and environment categories. It has sat comfortably in the top 20 for several years now.
- Toronto, Canada -2 Not as well-known as its American neighbours, but still packs a business punch. Toronto is a globally important city and has North America's third-largest stock exchange by market capitalisation. Second on the list for cities on the rise.
- Moscow, Russia -2 The capital of the largest country in the world, Moscow continues to increase its global footprint and scores highest for museums in the cultural category.
- Boston, USA – Retains its leadership in the world’s top universities, but Kearney thinks its in a precarious position, dropping eight places in its outlook list.
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