For entrepreneurs and executives, business travel is about more than catching flights and booking hotels.
A productive business destination needs fast internet, reliable infrastructure, accessible hotels, and a mix of convenience and culture to make client meetings worthwhile.
And one South African city has landed near the bottom of a new global ranking of business travel hubs.
The worst business travel destinations
The recent study analysed 77 cities worldwide, comparing everything from Wi-Fi speeds and hotel availability to dining costs and flight times from London. The study aimed to identify the best and worst destinations for business travellers.
Johannesburg ranked among the ten least favourable cities for business travel. The biggest setback? Connectivity. With average internet speeds of just 53.90 Mbps for downloads and 48.46 Mbps for uploads, the city lags far behind other global hubs. Free Wi-Fi is also scarce, with only 308 hotspots recorded.
On paper, Johannesburg offers some advantages. Meals are affordable at around £33 (R760), and a bottle of wine averages £4.12 (R95) – making it one of the most budget-friendly destinations in the study.
There are also 386 business-friendly hotels catering to corporate travellers. However, the city’s infrastructure reliability and the long 11-hour flight from London make it less than ideal for those who prioritise speed and efficiency.
How other cities compare
Johannesburg wasn’t alone in underperforming. Sydney was ranked the worst global city for business travel, with limited Wi-Fi access, modest download speeds, and steep costs – plus the long-haul flight from London that eats into valuable time.
New York, by contrast, scored highly for connectivity and hotel options, with more than 12 000 free Wi-Fi spots and blazing download speeds of nearly 300 Mbps. But sky-high costs for dining and wine made it one of the most expensive destinations for business travel.
Take a look at the top 10 worst cities for business travel below:
| Rank | City | No. of free wifi spots | Wifi download speed (Mbps) | Wifi upload speed (Mbps) | No. of business-friendly hotels | Average cost of a bottle of wine | Average cost of a meal | No. of things to do | Average flight duration from London (hrs) |
| 1 | Sydney | 3,173 | 85.16 | 18.95 | 204 | £9.52 | £57.51 | 120 | 21:30 |
| 2 | New York City | 12,038 | 298.35 | 39.34 | 501 | £14.59 | £106.88 | 213 | 08:00 |
| 3 | Oslo | 666 | 142.88 | 92.86 | 73 | £14.43 | £88.27 | 52 | 2:05 |
| 4 | Kuala Lumpur | 9,282 | 142.46 | 60.34 | 345 | £12.95 | £20.93 | 39 | 13:15 |
| 5 | Helsinki | 958 | 127.03 | 56.28 | 66 | £11.51 | £76.58 | 64 | 2:50 |
| 6 | Seoul | 8,065 | 208.61 | 159.68 | 252 | £15.59 | £40.83 | 153 | 12:45 |
| 7 | Johannesburg | 308 | 53.90 | 48.46 | 386 | £4.12 | £33.05 | 11 | 11:00 |
| 8 | Chicago | 2,574 | 291.18 | 45.43 | 451 | £10.95 | £95.83 | 109 | 8:45 |
| 9 | Manchester | 1,388 | 160.88 | 55.71 | 158 | £8.00 | £70.00 | 26 | 01:00 |
| 10 | London | 12,520 | 142.96 | 41.76 | 519 | £8.50 | £80.00 | 498 | 00:00 |
