Just as leisure travellers are always working (43% of international travellers always take their professional mobile devices with them on holiday or weekend trips), business travellers are now often extending their stays to include a leisure component, according to Bridgestreet Global Hospitality’s ‘Bleisure Report 2014’.
‘Bleisure’ is about more than rest and relaxation. Bleisure can benefit business. Almost all the business travellers that took part in this survey believed ‘bleisure’ helped them gain cultural experience and knowledge of the cities they were doing business in. Nearly four out of five respondees agreed that adding leisure days to business trips added value to work assignments.
While a desire for ‘bleisure’ is growing amongst employees, the majority of businesses have yet to embrace the concept. Very few have a formal policy in place that addresses bleisure, though it’s already clear that ‘bleisure’ is here to stay.
Report findings
Travel habits
- The majority of annual travel is for leisure, with business making up 30% or less
- 83% of respondents use time on business trips to explore the city they’re visiting
- Six out of 10 travellers are away from home on business 10 or more days per year, with two of those travellers away for 60+ days
Rising bleisure trends
- The majority of respondents (60%) have taken bleisure trips, with most (30%) respondents adding two vacation days to business trips
- Nearly half of respondents (46%) add personal travel days to business travel “every trip” or to “most trips”
- The three most popular bleisure activities are:
- Sightseeing
- Dining
- Arts/Culture
- 96% of respondents believe they gain cultural experience/knowledge through bleisure trips
- The top reason for bleisure travel is a desire to see the world and gain cultural experiences
- More than half (54%) of travelers that take bleisure trips bring their family members or significant other with them
Bleisure sentiment
- 20% of travellers have not taken bleisure trips, but would like to
- 78% of respondents agree that adding leisure days to business travel adds value to work assignments
- Six out of 10 of respondents are more likely to take bleisure trips today than they were five years ago
- 73% of travellers feel bleisure opportunities benefit them as an employee
Younger business travellers
- The primary reason for bleisure travel among travellers under 35 is because they are in a city they’ve never been to
- 39% do not bring a significant other or family member with them, but would like to
- 94% of younger travellers are “more than” or “equally” likely to take a bleisure trip in the next five years – significantly higher than the worldwide average
Opportunity for serviced apartments
As bleisure is on business travellers’ minds more than ever, serviced apartments can meet the needs of both business and leisure guests by providing a more comfortable, home-like alternative to typical hotel rooms, including fully equipped kitchens. Spacious accommodation suits business travellers, where a large, well-designed workspace can greatly increase productivity when out of the office, while remaining flexible for leisure guests, including family and friends.
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