Is Mixing Business & Leisure Still A Major Trend?

Oct 15, 2022 | Traveler’s Q

Is Mixing Business & Leisure Still A Major Trend?

Is Mixing Business & Leisure Still a Major Trend?

There is a new term for mixing business and leisure travel. It is called ‘Bleisure’ or in the corporate travel world, known as a bizcation. It can be helpful for executives to better manage their work and life balance. As a result, the productivity of the employee increases as well as their career satisfaction. This type of travel has been tracked since 2011 and has maintained a constant growth. Currently, seven percent of worldwide business travel is categorized as bleisure travel. In the United States, however, fifty-two percent of international business travelers have bleisure trips while forty-two percent of these trips are domestic.

The last thing an executive would want to do is recover from their jet lag while attending meeting after meeting indoors. In the past, many executives have traveled for business and really do not have time to do anything else than attend work related events. Since the main objective of the trip is work, many employees at the end of the day’s work events go back to their hotel rooms to prepare for the next day.

Time for rest and a little fun has to be part of the itinerary as well. The best idea would have the leisure part of the trip come before or after the business portion of the trip. If the employee does a walking tour then later attends a meeting all on in one day, it can be overwhelming. For instance, a good plan would be to attend their meetings or a trade show for the first few days of the trip. Then, for the remainder of the trip schedule is the vacation itinerary. Or, the leisure days can come first it that suits the schedule more appropriately. This way, the employee can tune out work during this time and thoroughly enjoy themselves in the leisure time.

There are several advantages for the company and the employee when business and leisure travel are combined. Advantages for the company include a greater understanding of the culture where the employee will be conducting business, discounted rates at hotels and happier and more productive employees. For the employees there is a possibility of bringing along family or friends with them, career development, and more of a balance between work and leisure time.

Corporate event planners are taking advantage of this phenomenon by planning specific events in the destination. Planners can add an extra incentive to attend by adding a day excursion nearby before or after the business event. Event planners can tailor these events or excursions to the specific niche of the target audience as well as your meeting destination. Plan for the corporate events to end by Friday, and schedule special events the following weekend. This can also help with the cost of the return flights which companies will be grateful. The cost of a flight can drop by fifty percent if a traveler stays over until Monday.

The trend known as Bleisure travel is growing in the corporate business world. Companies should pay attention to this growing trend and facilitate the combination of work and play. This type of travel is beneficial for the productivity and morale of the company, and the retention of dedicated employees.