This was one of the findings of the latest “Daily Rates” research published by ECA International, the leading provider of knowledge, information and software for the management and assignment of employees around the world.

The average business trip to the capital now costs US$278 (Bt8,675) a day, with the Thai cities that were included in the survey all seeing a slight increase in business travel costs.

Updated annually, ECA’s “Daily Rates” reports provide average costs for hotel accommodation, which makes up the bulk of any daily allowance, as well as meals, drinks, laundry, taxi transport and daily essentials. 

Hong Kong is the most expensive location for business travellers at $508 per day, overtaking Tokyo which drops to second in the rankings, said Lee Quane, ECA regional director – Asia.

Singapore ranks joint third with Seoul, with the average cost of a business trip to Singapore having increased to $479 per day.

Meanwhile, the cheapest place in the region for international business travel continues to be Malaysia, with Kuala Lumpur and Johor Bahru remaining at the bottom of the rankings.

“The continued weakness of the Malaysian ringgit against major currencies has ensured that

the cost of business travel in Malaysia is cheaper than elsewhere in Asia,” Quane said.

“Although fellow Asean countries such as Indonesia, Thailand, Brunei and Cambodia have cities which rank amongst the cheapest in the region for business travel, the cost of business travel remains low in Malaysia. The cost of a business trip to Kuala Lumpur is less than half

of what it is in Hong Kong,” he added.

Chinese cities have seen an increase in cost for a standard business trip, with Shanghai now

ranked as the 9th most expensive location for business travel in the region.

“Chinese cities have become costlier for business travellers in the past 12 months. Increased prices of goods and services commonly consumed by business travellers has led to the rise of many Chinese cities in our rankings. 

“However, despite the increase, Shanghai is still much cheaper than Hong Kong or Tokyo for business travel, and is over $100 a day less expensive on average,” the regional director added.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/Economy/30343339