Singapore and Hong Kong have emerged as the most frequently visited destinations among business travellers who took trips in the first six months of the year.

According to the Accor Asia Pacific Business Traveller Survey 2011, both cities appeared among the "Top 3" destinations for respondents from key markets, who participated in the survey.

The survey, done in conjunction with Cimigo, a market research agency, showed that business travellers took an average of 6.3 business trips in the first six months of the year.

Male business travellers were on the road more frequently, taking an average of seven trips in the first half of the year. In contrast, female business travellers took an average of 4.5 trips. The survey also revealed that travel frequency differed according to job position and seniority, with directors and C-Levels (such as CEOs, COOs, and CFOs) travelling the most frequently (taking an average of 8.0 and 7.3 trips respectively).

The average number of trips also differed based on the country of residence, with Chinese (8.7), Indian (7.3) and Singaporean (7.1) respondents taking the highest number of trips on average, and Thais (5.0), Australians (5.2) and New Zealanders (5.2) taking the fewest.

The average number of trips for Chinese respondents was boosted by a significant segment of 'road warriors' - 15 per cent took more than 20 business trips in the first six months of the year.

The majority of business travel was international although domestic travel was also included in the survey. The larger the geographical size of the country, the higher the incidence of 'domestic only' business travel, with Australia (34 per cent), New Zealand (26 per cent) and China (25 per cent) topping the list.

For the remainder of the year, the average number of trips planned was found to be similar to the average number taken. Again, men and those with more senior job titles were expected to travel the most frequently.

Work and play while on the road

The survey also revealed that business travellers are a hard-working lot. It might come as no surprise to most of us that travellers from Singapore and China topped the charts.

The survey found that 75 per cent worked in the hotel at some point during their trip with the numbers increasing to 82 per cent for respondents travelling from China and Singapore.

Travellers from Hong Kong are most likely to 'burn the midnight oil' with 14 per cent working between midnight and 6am, compared to seven per cent, which was the general average. In comparison, travellers from Australia and New Zealand are most likely to be early risers (35 per cent and 38 per cent respectively working between 6am and 9am).

Unwinding during business trips is likely to involve a visit to the hotel fitness centre than the hotel spa, reflecting an increasingly health conscious population regardless of nationality.

Nonetheless, it was found that there are certain patterns associated with particular segments. For instance, Indian business travellers are the 'power users' of the fitness centre (64 per cent). In terms of spa services, business travellers from Asia are more likely to opt for body and foot massages while travellers from New Zealand and Australia are more likely to use the sauna/steam room.

With the diversity of quality accommodation options available to business travellers to Singapore, in addition to an enticing selection of post-meeting entertainment and lifestyle options, visitors are certainly spoilt for choice when it comes to making the most of their business trips.