Recent data shows that when business travellers attend a conference in a destination they haven’t visited before, 66% of these travellers are likely to add up to five extra days to their trip for leisure purposes.
The Heathrow Express Business Travel Insights Report 2017 identifies different personas of business travellers when choosing flights, accommodation and transport to and from the airport.
The increasing trend of mixing business trips with leisure has created ‘bleisure’ travellers.
These travellers offer travel professionals an opportunity to up-sell to partners and families, as they are more interested in making their trip as enjoyable as possible and finding the best places to stay and ways of getting there.
The profile of this group shows bleisure travellers are least likely to spend time at the airport working with favouring relaxing (62%) and eating or drinking (61%).
When flying short haul, they are least likely to be flying economy, with 60% flying in the front of the plane. For long haul flights, only 14% fly economy.
A typical bleisure traveller will spend £423 of their own money on food, drink, shopping and accommodation while enjoying their extended trip.
Fraser Brown, director of Heathrow Express said: “Bleisure travellers can be seen to be making the most of their trip away. Not only do they offer travel professional great opportunities for upgrading but they provide a great chance for destinations which can benefit from their extended leisure time and spending habits.”
