FOCUS
GETTING AWAY FOR WORK AND PLAY WHAT IS DRIVING THIS TREND?
Bleisure travel is on the rise and can take different forms. Meetings investigates what these can look like, and what opportunities they present the local MICE industry.
T
he term ‘bleisure tourism’ was coined in 2009 and refers to trips that include a blend of business and leisure activities. Its popularity has continued to grow, and more recently has been fuelled by the pandemic. Traditionally, bleisure travel looked like a business trip with some extra days added on (booked as leave and at the individual’s own cost) for sightseeing or visiting family. However, new forms of bleisure travel have emerged in response to the opportunities that remote work offers. For
instance, workcations (another portmanteau – work and vacation) have been on the rise, where employees work remotely from a destination with good internet connectivity. This allows them to continue earning an income while also being able to explore a new location in their downtime. Some professionals are taking this further and becoming digital nomads. Similar to workcations, digital nomads work remotely from any location in the world. However, the term implies it is a lifestyle choice, while workcations are temporary escapes.
WHAT MAKES FOR A GREAT BLEISURE DESTINATION? According to an Expedia Group survey, the following features make for an attractive bleisure destination (based on the percentage of business travellers who voted for these): • Food and restaurants: 59% • Beaches: 52% • Natural sightseeing locations: 51% • Weather: 50% • Historical monuments and sightseeing: 49% • Museums, art and culture: 41% • Iconic, bucket-list destinations: 39% • Outdoor recreation: 39% Happily, these are all features of destination South Africa – as is affordability.
Bonnie Smith, GM of Corporate Traveller, says, “The pandemic caused everyone to lose out on the opportunity to enjoy life to the fullest for well over a year, whether that meant having to put much-anticipated adventures on hold or not being able to spend time with loved ones living far away. Now, as traveller confidence continues to rise, we are seeing a huge increase in demand for corporate travel.” Bonnie adds that many employers are actively supporting this as a benefit for their staff, and explains, “Companies have started to introduce more flexible work and travel policies. This means employees have more freedom to add a few days’ bleisure to their work trip or even plan a workcation. Whereas before companies would ‘consider’ bleisure trips, we see that they are now encouraging it and proactively offering it as an employee perk. Not only is it an important shift in terms of employee well-being but it’s becoming increasingly important in terms of attracting – and keeping – the right talent.” As travel costs increase, affordable travel options are becoming more attractive to employees. Mandeep S Lamba, president of hospitality consultancy HVS (South Asia), writes, “Bleisure is poised to take off because it enables people to enjoy a quick getaway with family and loved ones at much lower costs because travel and lodging costs are partially covered by their employer. This is especially true for people attending in-person conferences and MICE events in domestic or international destinations after a two-year hiatus.” Remote workers funding their own travels can also benefit from lower travel costs, as they are
12 • MEETINGS l SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 www.theplannerguru.co.za