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Corporate Travel Trends in APAC 2026

What's driving APAC corporate travel in 2026 — record growth, stabilising costs, early AI, NDC and hard SAF mandates. A buyer's view of the region.

公司2026年11月17日Ervin Loke
Hands holding a marker arrange blue and yellow sticky notes on a large planning sheet during a workshop
Lone figure walking sand dunes at sunset with jagged mountains and sun flare on the horizon
Lone figure walking sand dunes at sunset with jagged mountains and sun flare on the horizon

Asia-Pacific is now the centre of gravity in business travel. In 2026, APAC corporate-travel spend is forecast to reach US$700.9 billion, up 10.9% year on year — comfortably ahead of the +8.1% expected globally. That keeps the region the world's largest and fastest-growing business-travel market (GBTA Business Travel Index 2026). That headline hides a more interesting story: growth is wildly uneven between markets, costs are stabilising while forecasters argue over by how much, and the technologies everyone is talking about are further from the desk than the marketing suggests. This guide walks through the trends that actually matter for anyone running or planning travel in the region this year.

It's written for the travel manager, finance lead, or ops owner who needs the real state of play, not a vendor pitch.

Key Takeaways

• APAC business-travel spend is forecast at US$700.9bn in 2026 (+10.9%), leading global growth (GBTA, 2026).

• Growth is highly uneven — Taiwan (+24.7%) and Japan (+15.3%) surge while Singapore (+9.0%) grows steadily.

• Costs are stabilising, but forecasters disagree: airfare projections for APAC in 2026 range from roughly flat to about +2%.

• AI is mostly at the experiment stage; NDC and hard sustainability mandates are the shifts with real near-term teeth.

How big is APAC business travel in 2026?

Large, and getting larger faster than anywhere else. APAC is forecast to account for more than 40% of global business-travel spend in 2026, on a global total of around US$1.69 trillion (GBTA Business Travel Index 2026). Within the region the distribution is lopsided: China alone is projected at roughly US$408 billion — about 58% of APAC spend — with the top five markets (China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia) totalling US$623.2 billion.

For a buyer, the takeaway isn't the headline number; it's the concentration. A "APAC travel programme" is really a set of very different country programmes stitched together, and the biggest markets behave nothing like the fastest-growing ones. That structural point runs through every trend below — and it's why APAC corporate travel doesn't work like the US or EU.

Growth is uneven across the region

The regional average of +10.9% is an artefact of averaging very different markets. The 2026 forecasts show a wide spread, led by markets rebuilding capacity and inbound demand.

Taiwan's projected +24.7% and Japan's +15.3% reflect strong inbound demand and a weaker yen making Japan an unusually attractive destination; Singapore's steadier +9.0% is the mark of a mature, already-high-volume market. The practical implication: a flat, region-wide budget assumption will be wrong almost everywhere. Programmes that plan and negotiate market by market — rather than treating "APAC" as one line — will forecast spend far more accurately in 2026.

Smartphone calculator and open notebook on printed charts beside a laptop and keyboard
Smartphone calculator and open notebook on printed charts beside a laptop and keyboard

Costs are stabilising — but forecasters disagree

After the post-pandemic price spikes, 2026 looks calmer. How calm depends on whom you ask. The CWT–GBTA Global Business Travel Forecast has APAC airfares easing 1.8% in 2025 and rising just 0.8% in 2026, off an APAC average one-way fare of around US$502. BCD Travel's 2026 forecast is more cautious, projecting Asia airfares up roughly 2% and hotel rates rising closer to the global average of about 4.9%.

Forecaster

APAC airfare, 2026

Hotel rates, 2026

CWT–GBTA

+0.8% (after −1.8% in 2025)

Global ADR up ~1.8%

BCD Travel

~+2%

Nearer the global average (~4.9%)

Both can't be precisely right, and that's the point: treat any single 2026 rate forecast as a scenario, not a fact. The defensible planning posture is a range — assume airfares roughly flat to modestly up, and hotel ADR up low-single-digits — and build a small contingency rather than banking on one house's number. Where you have volume in a specific city, your own negotiated rates will matter more than any regional average.

AI is arriving as experiment, not impact

If you only read vendor press releases, AI has already transformed corporate travel. The buyer data says otherwise. In GBTA's Q4 2025 poll, about 33% of travel buyers were experimenting with autonomous AI and roughly 49% of suppliers and TMCs with agentic AI, while 51% of buyers said they planned to use agentic AI for expense reconciliation — clear intent, but mostly still pilots. And in a separate early-2026 GBTA study (a US, Canada and Europe sample, not APAC), 58% of buyers reported AI had had little or no impact on their programme so far.

So the honest read for APAC in 2026 is: high interest, early deployment, limited measured impact — with expense and support automation the most real, and "autonomous booking" still ahead of both the technology and buyers' appetite for it. We've taken the same measured line on our own product, and go deeper on what's genuinely shipping in AI in corporate travel.

Distribution is shifting toward NDC

Under the surface, how flights are sold is changing. Industry data puts NDC at roughly a quarter of indirect airline ticket sales entering 2026, up sharply from a few years ago, though adoption is uneven by region and the figure is still settling. APAC has visible momentum: Qantas has pushed buyers toward its NDC channel, and ANA's NDC content is live across dozens of markets through the major technology providers.

For buyers, NDC is a double edge — richer fares and content on one hand, servicing and comparison headaches on the other. It's worth understanding before it's negotiated into your next airline deal; we cover the buyer's view in NDC for corporate travel buyers.

Cupped hands holding dark soil and a small green fern seedling over leafy ground
Cupped hands holding dark soil and a small green fern seedling over leafy ground

Sustainability rules are turning concrete

For years "sustainable travel" in APAC meant policy statements. In 2026 it starts to mean mandates. Singapore is introducing a 1% sustainable-aviation-fuel (SAF) blend target at its airports from 2026, rising toward 3–5% by 2030. The associated passenger levy applies to tickets sold from October 2026 and to flights departing from January 2027. Japan is finalising a 10% SAF mandate by 2030, backed by a production tax credit, and comparable mandates are emerging across South Korea, Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam.

The near-term effect on a corporate programme is modest but real: a small, rising cost component on APAC flights, and — more importantly — the beginnings of hard emissions data that finance and ESG teams will be expected to report. Programmes that can already capture per-trip emissions will find the next two years far easier than those starting from spreadsheets.

Travel is more intra-regional and more blended

Two behavioural shifts round out the picture. First, APAC business travel is heavily intra-regional — the large majority of the region's travel demand originates within it rather than long-haul from the US or Europe — and the region has broadly returned to pre-pandemic tourism volumes. Second, "blended" or bleisure travel keeps rising: industry commentary suggests a clear majority of APAC professionals expect their blended and regional travel to grow, as short intra-Asia hops make it easy to extend a work trip by a day or two.

For buyers, both trends push in the same direction: more frequent, shorter, regional trips rather than a few long-haul set pieces. That raises the premium on fast self-serve booking, duty-of-care coverage across many markets, and support on the messaging channels travellers in each country actually use.

What should an APAC travel buyer do about it?

Pulling the trends together, four moves make sense for 2026:

  • Plan market by market. With growth ranging from +9% to +25% and costs forecast differently by every house, a single regional assumption will mislead you. Budget and negotiate per market.

  • Treat AI as an assist, not a replacement. Prioritise the proven wins — expense and support automation — and be sceptical of autonomous-booking pitches.

  • Get your data and emissions in order now. NDC servicing and SAF reporting both reward programmes that already have consolidated, structured travel data.

  • Localise support and payment. Intra-regional, multi-currency, multi-channel travel is the norm; the tooling has to match.

That last point is where a modern travel platform earns its place. Accomy is built APAC-first for exactly this shape of programme — multi-currency payment, negotiated rates applied at booking, and human support on the channels travellers in each market use — so a growing regional programme doesn't have to be run out of a spreadsheet. The broader point stands regardless of tooling: in 2026, the winning APAC programmes are the ones that stop treating the region as a single market.

Frequently Asked Questions

How fast is business travel growing in APAC in 2026?

APAC corporate-travel spend is forecast to reach US$700.9 billion in 2026, up 10.9% year on year, according to GBTA's Business Travel Index 2026. That outpaces the roughly 8.1% growth expected globally and keeps Asia-Pacific the world's largest and fastest-growing business-travel region, accounting for more than 40% of global spend.

Which APAC markets are growing fastest?

Growth is very uneven. GBTA's 2026 forecasts put Taiwan highest at +24.7%, followed by Japan (+15.3%), South Korea (+13.3%), Indonesia (+12.6%) and India (+12.5%), while more mature markets like Australia (+9.7%) and Singapore (+9.0%) grow steadily. China is by far the largest single market at around US$408 billion, roughly 58% of regional spend.

Are corporate travel costs rising in APAC in 2026?

Costs are broadly stabilising, but forecasters disagree on the magnitude. The CWT–GBTA forecast projects APAC airfares up only about 0.8% in 2026 after a slight fall in 2025, while BCD Travel projects Asia airfares up roughly 2% and hotel rates rising nearer the global average. The sensible planning approach is a range — airfares roughly flat to modestly up, hotels up low single digits — rather than a single number.

Is AI actually changing corporate travel in APAC?

Interest is high but real impact is still early. GBTA's late-2025 poll found about a third of buyers experimenting with autonomous AI and around half planning to use agentic AI for expense reconciliation, yet a separate early-2026 study (outside APAC) found 58% of buyers saw little or no impact so far. Expense and support automation are the most mature uses; autonomous booking remains largely aspirational.

What sustainability rules affect APAC corporate travel?

Sustainable-aviation-fuel (SAF) mandates are the concrete change. Singapore is introducing a 1% SAF blend target from 2026 with a passenger levy from late 2026, and Japan is finalising a 10% SAF mandate by 2030, with similar schemes emerging across South Korea, Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam. For buyers this means a small rising cost on APAC flights and growing pressure to report per-trip emissions.

Quick Takeaways

  • APAC leads global business-travel growth in 2026: US$700.9bn, +10.9%, over 40% of global spend (GBTA).

  • Growth is uneven — Taiwan +24.7% and Japan +15.3% surge; Singapore +9.0% is steady. Plan market by market.

  • Cost forecasts diverge (roughly flat to ~+2% airfare); plan a range, not a number.

  • AI is mostly experimental; NDC adoption and SAF mandates are the shifts with near-term teeth.

  • Travel is increasingly intra-regional, multi-currency and blended — support and payment must be localised.

About Accomy — Accomy is an APAC-first travel operating system for SME and mid-market companies: booking, negotiated rates, policy, multi-currency payment, and human support across the region. More at About Accomy.

Related reading:

Sources (retrieved 2026-07-13)

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