The Millennial Bleisure Traveller
More and more employees are now expected to travel regularly as a part of their job. Whether it’s attending a conference or industry event, visiting overseas clients or suppliers or sourcing new locations for expansion, business trips are a part of modern life. With international travel becoming cheaper, more staff get the opportunity to travel for work.
Some people find business trips inconvenient while others see them as an opportunity to explore new places. In fact, there is a trend for business travellers to extend their stay and even invite family members along on business trips, to add leisure time. Mixing business and leisure could be the answer to pleasure!
Bleisure travel (the new term used to describe the rising trend of mixing business and leisure trips) makes sense for people who get to visit exciting places. Imagine going on a business trip to London and not having any time to see the sights? Many workers are ditching the “all work and no play” regime, because there is no point in travelling the world if you’re stuck in a meeting room. Business travellers have started to use some of their holiday days before or after a scheduled trip, so they can stay a little longer and enjoy the local experiences.
It should be no surprise that it’s the younger generation, who prefer experiences over possessions, that are most likely to extend a business trip. The Global Business Travel Association found that over a third of US business travellers extended a work trip for leisure purposes, and the majority (48%) were millennials.
Bleisure trips can be beneficial for both employers and employees. It can help keep workers motivated and enjoying regular business travel. If an employee chooses to invite family to come along and enjoy the trip, it improves work life balance. For businesses, this will have a knock-on effect and staff will be more productive and achieve job satisfaction. Employers may also take advantage of cheaper weekend flights to some destinations if staff choose to book extra nights.
The hospitality industry needs to be aware of the new bleisure traveller and understand their needs. Hotels, homestays and aparthotels can all cater to this niche travel market if they understand the demographic.
