The majority of business travellers are taking at least one “bleisure” trip per year, according to a survey by TMC Egencia.
The poll of more than 9,000 Egencia users across North America, Europe and Asia Pacific regions found that 68 per cent of travellers take at least one annual trip combining business and leisure.
The survey also revealed that some travellers have decided against going on bleisure trips because of “how it may look to their employer”. This issue was at its highest level among Asian travellers (32 per cent), while it was less of a problem for employees in North America (20 per cent) and Europe (15 per cent).
Wendy White, Egencia’s vice president of marketing, said: “The insight that many business travellers have skipped bleisure trips due to employer perception reveals an opportunity for differentiation in the race for top talent.
“With more companies today prioritising work-life balance, it may be time to start including bleisure in your travel programme to invest in employees and encourage them to make every trip count.”
For those deciding to take bleisure trips, the most important factor was destination location, followed by the proximity of the trip to the weekend and also to friends and family. Sightseeing was the most popular bleisure activity.
Bleisure continues to be a growing trend with 68 per cent of travellers in Europe either planning or considering a work/leisure trip in the next six months. Although, this is lower than for travellers in North America (74 per cent) and Asia (87 per cent).