A survey of business travellers reveals they get both professional and personal perks out of business trips, including breaking the routine, travelling to new places and staying in expensive hotels. But the majority refuse to post about their experiences on social media.
The poll of 2,000 business travellers by Conferenceleeds found that in addition to the business benefits of travel – including face-to-face connections and increasing revenue – 27 per cent love the bonus of staying in hotels they otherwise couldn’t afford.
A third like to use the opportunity to see places they may never have gone to on their own, while the same amount like experiencing other cultures.
In terms of work, 37 per cent believe travelling has helped to improve their skills and 29 per cent have made better business connections while out in the field.
The average respondent travels for work six times per year, adding up to 20 days away from the office on business trips. A further 46 per cent have travelled abroad on the company dime.
People in the East Midlands travel more for work than any other region – averaging seven trips a year – while those in Northern Ireland travel the least at five trips annually.
Nearly six in ten of those surveyed said their job has allowed them to travel to parts of the world they wouldn’t otherwise have considered visiting. Half find it to be an unexpected luxury when they are asked to travel further afield by their company.
Despite this, the majority follow security tips not to share details of their trip on social media, with 71 per cent saying they refuse to post about their business travel. Men are more likely to be wary of social media than women (72 per cent compared to 70 per cent).
Younger travellers are also more likely to share their business travel experience on social media than their older counterparts – half of 18 to 24 year olds compared to 15 per cent of over-55s.
Claire Heap, head of Conferenceleeds, commented: “Our research comes as a shock, especially as we live in such a tech-savvy world. It is clear that business people love getting out of the office, as our study found that half of business travellers wish they could travel even more than they currently do.”
visitleeds.co.uk/conferences