In the travel industry, the line in the beach resort’s sand is often blurred between business and pleasure. For many people, the blurring favors the side of business, with career-crazed vacationers reluctant to “unplug” from work even when using their precious PTO. For others, business travel gives them an opportunity to experience destinations they may not have otherwise visited.
What does this mean for the tourism industry? Business + leisure equals an opportunity to cater to customers’ needs, no matter what bleisure (don’t blame me; I didn’t coin the term) means to them.
Infographic courtesy of BridgeStreet
For airlines, it means offering connectivity even at 39,000 feet. For airports, it means having even more phone-charging stations and accessible electrical outlets.
For hotels, it means offering free WiFi to business travelers, having business centers where guests can print from computers, free Internet access for guests and more. It also means having an on-site gym where guests can continue their at-home fitness routines even when away on business. It means having a trained concierge staff ready to answer guests’ questions about the area.
For companies, it means giving employees some free time before, during or after a business trip to explore. The same goes for conference planners; leisure time is a win-win as it boosts the local economy and also offers additional, less-formal opportunities for attendees to network. It’s also an opportunity to provide activities/suggestions for attendees’ vacationing partners who may accompany them on the trip. (I’ve accompanied my husband to an annual convention three years in a row, and usually am on my own when it comes to exploring the area.)
For corporate travel agents, it means getting creative with travel planning. Offer ideas on how business travelers can spend their precious free time in a given destination.
And for destination marketers, bleisure travel can be a big boon. It’s a bit like double-dipping. It means getting the word out to conference planners about after-hours options for dining and entertainment. It also means creating itineraries that will help time-crunched travelers make the most of their stay.
For bleisure travelers, it can mean choosing a vacation spot that’s conducive to the occasional conference call or video conference. It can mean attending an industry event because it’s in a highly desirable location. And it can mean, after getting a sneak peek of a destination on a business trip, returning there for a full-fledged vacation at a later date.
Let’s face it, bleisure travel is here to stay. Members of the tourism industry would be wise to capitalize on this trend.
By Darcy Grabenstein, senior copywriter at Annodyne
