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northward and southward. Canada ranks third at 85 %, while Mexico sits at 72 %. For European buyers, those figures are 34 % and non-ranking respectively.
This tells us something important. British buyers still value the transatlantic connection, the time zones that work reasonably well, the decades of established DMC relationships, the linguistic familiarity. They ' ve just decided that connection no longer needs to run through the United States.
Where Europe still matters( and where it doesn ' t) Western Europe remains the top choice for European buyers at 100 %, which makes intuitive sense. It’ s home. But for British buyers, Western Europe sits at 88 %, second place and slightly cooler in enthusiasm.
Post-Brexit complications, certainly. But perhaps also a sense that continental Europe, seen from across the Channel, lacks the exoticism and distinction that a truly memorable incentive programme requires. British buyers, no longer quite European themselves, are looking further afield.
Emerging Europe tells a similar story. It ranks second for European buyers at 92 % in 2025, a strong and growing preference. For GB buyers, it sits at 81 %.
Respectable, but clearly not the priority it is for their continental counterparts.
What this means If you’ re a destination marketing to British corporate buyers, these findings should fundamentally reshape your approach. British buyers are not simply Europeans who happen to speak English. They are a distinct market with distinct priorities, distinct anxieties, and distinct enthusiasms.
They value the Gulf more highly. They look to Canada and Mexico rather than the United States. They appear less tethered to Europe as a default choice, and more willing to consider far-flung alternatives that offer clear differentiation.
For DMCs and suppliers, the message is equally stark. Segment your European business carefully. What works for German or French buyers may fall entirely flat with their British counterparts. The destinations they dream of, the risks they will accept, and the political realities they navigate are measurably, provably different.
The bigger picture What we ' re witnessing in this data is the gradual emergence of a post- Brexit, post-Trump incentive travel landscape. It seems British buyers occupy a space of their own now, neither quite European nor quite aligned with North American norms. And for the first time, we have the data to prove it.
The question now is whether the rest of the industry is paying attention. n
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