Bleisure in the business travel market
- The global bleisure travel market is expected to grow 500% by 2033 ( Statista ).
- In 2024, the global bleisure travel market is worth $430 billion, up from $394 billion in 2023, for a CAGR of 9.3% ( Business Research Company ).
- Corporate travellers spend 22 days annually on average travelling for work, according to a 2023 survey. The average business trip lasts 3.8 days ( SavvySleeper ).
- In the UK, 42% of surveyed travellers in 2023 added leisure stays to their business trips ( IHG )
- In 2023, a U.S. survey found that 84% of travellers wanted to include some vacation time to their next corporate trip, and 48% had taken a bleisure trip in the past year. ( American Hotel & Lodging Association )
- 41% of travel managers have noted a rise in colleagues asking to add a longer stay to their work trips for leisure purposes ( GBTA )
- 62% of CEOs expected to increase their corporate travel budgets in 2024 ( Perk ).
- A 2022 report from Marriott found that business trip length of stays were up 20% from 2019, suggesting a continued rise in bleisure travel ( Marriott ).
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How common is bleisure travel?
- 66% of corporate travellers said they extended a business trip for leisure in 2023. 14% said they did so on three or more trips ( Deloitte ).
- 80% of business travellers believe they need to increase their business travel to support their personal and professional lives ( Crowne Plaza Hotels and Resorts ).
- Globally, around 34% of Gen Z and Millennial business travellers said they plan to extend a business trip in 2024 to enjoy leisure time before or after their work obligations. ( Hilton )
- 46% of business travellers who’d taken bleisure trips in the past said they would take one again in the future ( GBTA ).
What are the top destinations for bleisure trips?
- Perhaps unsurprisingly, New York City generates the most bleisure trips each year, with Paris, France, coming in second and London, UK, third ( CEO World )
- A 2022 survey of US travellers found California (27%), Florida (22%), and New York (18%) the most common bleisure travel destinations in North America. ( Visit Anaheim )
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Do bleisure travellers travel solo?
- 65% of travellers surveyed in 2022 stated they thought it was fine for friends or family to accompany corporate travellers on business trips as long as they didn’t distract from work commitments ( Visit Anaheim )
- By 2024, 24% of global business travellers said they plan to bring a family member or a friend on an upcoming business trip ( Hilton ).
- 57% of employees confessed to looking to take business trips to destinations they know their loved ones would enjoy ( Visit Anaheim )
Which employee demographic engages most with the bleisure travel trend?
- 79% of Gen Z business travellers want to travel for work to explore new places, compared to 72% of Millennials and 60% of Gen X. In addition, 41% of Gen Z workers say they want their companies to allow them to extend their business trip with leisure travel ( Perk ).
Employees consider corporate travel an important perk
- 83% of business travellers called business travel “enjoyable.” ( Deloitte )
- Business travellers cited both “networking opportunities” (51%) and “exploring new places” (47%) as top benefits of business travel, suggesting both personal and professional interest in travelling for work ( Deloitte ).
- Bleisure travellers list their favorite elements of travelling for work as having personal time to explore a new destination (70%), making new connections (58%), having a change of work environment (57%) and having new experiences (55% ( Visit Anaheim )
- 64% of US employees surveyed said they thought bleisure travel created better work-life balance ( Howdy ).
- In 2023, 68% of travel and finance managers said companies offer to pay some or all of an employee's personal expenses when they add leisure components onto business travel ( Skift ).
- Millennial (65%) and Gen Z (59%) respondents are more inclined to work for a company that offers frequent travel or flexible (work + leisure) travel possibilities as a perk ( Crowne Plaza Hotels and Resorts )
- 31% of surveyed employees believe that combining work travel and leisure would allow them to progress further in their career and also 39% said that it would increase their happiness levels ( Crowne Plaza Hotels and Resorts ).
- 75% of the HR decision-makers surveyed said advertising business travel opportunities in job descriptions makes the role more attractive ( Perk ).
- 60% surveyed employees said they would back a travel policy that permits workers to add personal travel to an existing trip ( AMEX ).
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What are the benefits of bleisure trips?
- Corporate travel is linked to employee satisfaction, with 90% of business travellers desiring to travel for work for the rest of their careers ( SavvySleeper )
- A 2023 survey of U.S. travellers revealed that 76% of participants reported negative outcomes if they went too long without taking time off. Burnout rated top with 41% of the vote, with boredom (36%), irritability (30%), and depression (29%) taking second, third, and fourth place ( Hilton Hotels ).
- The same survey reported that just over half of American employees (51%) feel guilty when asking for time off, with 28% not taking all their vacation days. With these staggering stats, businesses encouraging bleisure travel could stand out as advocates for employee happiness and ultimately benefit from better engagement and retention ( Hilton Hotels ).
- Employees cited “visiting family/friends in a destination” (42%), exploring the place they travelled to (57%), saving money on personal travel (41%), and relaxing before returning to work (14%) as top motivators for combining business trips for personal getaways ( Perk ).
- Bleisure trips can help reduce the cost of accommodation for business trips. 82% of bleisure travellers will opt for the same hotel for the entirety of their trip giving companies access to favorable pricing for extended stays while sharing the spend (GBTA) .
- 34% of surveyed business travellers shared that their most innovative concepts were conceived while on a business trip. This stat jumps up to 53% for team members aged 16-24 ( Perk ).
Make bleisure travel a breeze for employees
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