Bleisure in the business travel market
- The global bleisure travel market is expected to grow 500% by 2033 (Statista).
- In 2024, the global bleisure travel market is worth $430 billion, up from $394 billion in 2023, for a CAGR of 9.3% (Business Research Company).
- Corporate travelers spend 22 days annually on average traveling for work, according to a 2023 survey. The average business trip lasts 3.8 days (SavvySleeper).
- In the UK, 42% of surveyed travelers in 2023 added leisure stays to their business trips (IHG)
- In 2023, a U.S. survey found that 84% of travelers wanted to include some vacation time to their next corporate trip, and 48% had taken a bleisure trip in the past year. (American Hotel & Lodging Association)
- 41% of travel managers have noted a rise in colleagues asking to add a longer stay to their work trips for leisure purposes (GBTA)
- 62% of CEOs expected to increase their corporate travel budgets in 2024 (TravelPerk).
- A 2022 report from Marriott found that business trip length of stays were up 20% from 2019, suggesting a continued rise in bleisure travel (Marriott).
How common is bleisure travel?
- 66% of corporate travelers said they extended a business trip for leisure in 2023. 14% said they did so on three or more trips (Deloitte).
- 80% of business travelers believe they need to increase their business travel to support their personal and professional lives (Crowne Plaza Hotels and Resorts).
- Globally, around 34% of Gen Z and Millennial business travelers said they plan to extend a business trip in 2024 to enjoy leisure time before or after their work obligations. (Hilton)
- 46% of business travelers who’d taken bleisure trips in the past said they would take one again in the future (GBTA).
What are the top destinations for bleisure trips?
- Perhaps unsurprisingly, New York City generates the most bleisure trips each year, with Paris, France, coming in second and London, UK, third (CEO World)
- A 2022 survey of US travelers found California (27%), Florida (22%), and New York (18%) the most common bleisure travel destinations in North America. (Visit Anaheim)
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Do bleisure travelers travel solo?
- 65% of travelers surveyed in 2022 stated they thought it was fine for friends or family to accompany corporate travelers on business trips as long as they didn’t distract from work commitments (Visit Anaheim)
- By 2024, 24% of global business travelers said they plan to bring a family member or a friend on an upcoming business trip (Hilton).
- 57% of employees confessed to looking to take business trips to destinations they know their loved ones would enjoy (Visit Anaheim)
Which employee demographic engages most with the bleisure travel trend?
- 79% of Gen Z business travelers want to travel for work to explore new places, compared to 72% of Millennials and 60% of Gen X. In addition, 41% of Gen Z workers say they want their companies to allow them to extend their business trip with leisure travel (TravelPerk).
Employees consider corporate travel an important perk
- 83% of business travelers called business travel “enjoyable.” (Deloitte)
- Business travelers cited both “networking opportunities” (51%) and “exploring new places” (47%) as top benefits of business travel, suggesting both personal and professional interest in traveling for work (Deloitte).
- Bleisure travelers list their favorite elements of traveling for work as having personal time to explore a new destination (70%), making new connections (58%), having a change of work environment (57%) and having new experiences (55% (Visit Anaheim)
- 64% of US employees surveyed said they thought bleisure travel created better work-life balance (Howdy).
- In 2023, 68% of travel and finance managers said companies offer to pay some or all of an employee's personal expenses when they add leisure components onto business travel (Skift).
- Millennial (65%) and Gen Z (59%) respondents are more inclined to work for a company that offers frequent travel or flexible (work + leisure) travel possibilities as a perk (Crowne Plaza Hotels and Resorts)
- 31% of surveyed employees believe that combining work travel and leisure would allow them to progress further in their career and also 39% said that it would increase their happiness levels (Crowne Plaza Hotels and Resorts).
- 75% of the HR decision-makers surveyed said advertising business travel opportunities in job descriptions makes the role more attractive (TravelPerk).
- 60% surveyed employees said they would back a travel policy that permits workers to add personal travel to an existing trip (AMEX).
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What are the benefits of bleisure trips?
- Corporate travel is linked to employee satisfaction, with 90% of business travelers desiring to travel for work for the rest of their careers (SavvySleeper)
- A 2023 survey of U.S. travelers revealed that 76% of participants reported negative outcomes if they went too long without taking time off. Burnout rated top with 41% of the vote, with boredom (36%), irritability (30%), and depression (29%) taking second, third, and fourth place (Hilton Hotels).
- The same survey reported that just over half of American employees (51%) feel guilty when asking for time off, with 28% not taking all their vacation days. With these staggering stats, businesses encouraging bleisure travel could stand out as advocates for employee happiness and ultimately benefit from better engagement and retention (Hilton Hotels).
- Employees cited “visiting family/friends in a destination” (42%), exploring the place they traveled to (57%), saving money on personal travel (41%), and relaxing before returning to work (14%) as top motivators for combining business trips for personal getaways (TravelPerk).
- Bleisure trips can help reduce the cost of accommodation for business trips. 82% of bleisure travelers will opt for the same hotel for the entirety of their trip giving companies access to favorable pricing for extended stays while sharing the spend (GBTA).
- 34% of surveyed business travelers shared that their most innovative concepts were conceived while on a business trip. This stat jumps up to 53% for team members aged 16-24 (TravelPerk).
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