For Tourism Australia’s 2025 Business Events Consumer Demand Project, 160 associations and 508 decision-makers for corporate incentives were surveyed in June. The respondents came from 14 of Australia’s key international source markets for business events.
The results suggest associations are cutting back on international events, with the average number of international events dropping from 12 over the next decade in last year’s iteration of the same research to six over 10 years in 2025.
Meanwhile, incentive activity appears to be rising, with survey responses indicating an average of six international incentives will take place over the next three years, compared to a forecast of five international incentives over five years in 2024.
However, associations are more likely to be working with higher budgets than incentive organisers going forward. Eighty one per cent of associations forecasted increases in event budgets over the next decade, while 64 per cent of incentive organisers believed their budgets will increase in the nearer term – in the coming two to four years.
A higher percentage of associations are forecasting larger events compared to 2024, with 69 per cent expecting events of more than a 1,000 delegates in future, compared to just 50 per cent last year.
Decision drivers for destination choice have changed somewhat between 2024 and 2025 – more so amongst associations than corporate incentive leaders.
For associations, a safe destination is no longer the top factor, with good infrastructure being the most important consideration in destination choice in 2025, followed by appealing climate, friendly people and hospitality and value for money, with the safety of the destination coming in fifth.
For incentives, a safe destination took top spot again, but excellent business events facilities have risen to second from fifth place, while value for money slid from second to third place.
Destination sustainability also seems to be less important in 2025, with 37 per cent of incentive decision-makers and just 14 per cent of associations considering it a must-have when looks at destinations, compared to 22 per cent of associations and 42 per cent of incentive decision-makers in 2024.
Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) isn’t playing a massive role in influencing destination choice either, with just 34 per cent of incentive decision-makers and 18 per cent of associations considering it a must-have.
The research notes that geopolitics, currency fluctuations and economic considerations are impacting destination choices internationally for both incentives and association events, while climate disclosures are have an effect on long-haul travel for associations, which should be a particular concern for Australia.
