There’s A New Breed of Business Traveller Out There
It seems travel pays as a new Booking.com for Business study shows that 30% of people would accept a lower paying job if it meant travelling more for work.
The research shows that employers are potentially under-valuing business travel as a staff remuneration “bargaining chip,” as well as a workforce motivation and retention tool.
These findings reflect a broader trend identified by Booking.com for Business which reveals that employees are increasingly blurring the lines between business and leisure. Data shows that nearly half of business travellers (49%) have extended their business trip to a different city or country in the past 12 months, with nearly one third of this group (27%) claiming they intend to do the same in 2017. It’s a trend Booking.com for Business predicts will continue in the coming year, with 46% of those surveyed believing they will travel more for business in 2017 than they did in 2016.
Ripsy Bandourian, director of product development, Booking.com for Business, commented, “No longer seen as lost time or a career inconvenience, business travel is increasingly seen as an opportunity to expand horizons, find inspiration and progress in a career. Today’s laptop and latte breed of employee is increasingly mobile and fluid with their travel plans, looking to strike a balance between business and leisure travel – ‘bleisure.’
“As such, they expect employers to keep pace with their need for greater fluidity and flexibility and are even prepared to negotiate on salary to do so. It’s why Booking.com for Business is focused on providing a diverse range of accommodation choices for business travellers, as well as ensuring they can find, manage and enjoy company stays in the simplest, smartest and most rewarding way.”
To help guide companies through the changing preferences of business travellers, Booking.com for Business has identified a series of trends and packaged together some helpful tips for a workforce increasingly on the move.
Off the beaten path: While cities like London, Paris and Frankfurt remain as business travel hotspots, Booking.com for Business has also identified the top 10 fastest growing cities for business travellers. These are: Shanghai, Tokyo, Bangkok, Guangzhou, New York, Budapest, Singapore, Hong Kong, Prague and Amsterdam.
Frustrated by downtime: Downtime is a huge inconvenience for the modern business traveller. Research reveals that 62% of people are eager to do as many activities as possible when visiting a new location, so minimizing transit time and maximizing the sights and sounds of new cities is very important. To help business travellers achieve this, Booking.com for Business created a map to be used as an indispensable guide outlining the average time it takes to get from the airplane to their downtown accommodations at the top 20 business destinations around the world. The top five business travel airports with fastest transit times to downtown accommodations: Singapore Changi Airport, 46 minutes; Munich Franz Josef Strauss Airport, 47 minutes; Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport, 54 minutes; Madrid Barajas Airport, 57 minutes, Berlin Tegel Airport, 58 minutes.
This new breed of business travellers is way more likely to book a trip or change their travel plans at the last minute. Research reveals that of those who stated they travel for business, nearly 15% of Canadians book their domestic travel within a week before their departure date and four weeks or less before their international business trips.
“It’s clear that a one-size-fits-all approach to business travel is no longer sufficient with this new breed of employee. Whether it’s exploring new destinations, using technology or apps to make their employees’ experience more seamless, or trying out different places to stay such as villas or homestays, companies should build this flexibility into corporate travel policies or give staff the freedom to plan, book and manage their own itineraries. It can reap massive rewards in terms of staff satisfaction levels and make companies far more attractive to outside talent,” added Bandourian.
