Booking.com Research Shows Personalized Business Travel is Key to Recruitment and Retention
NEW YORK, January 9, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --
New research from Booking.com for Business, the global leader in connecting business travelers with the widest choice of places to stay, reveals how people's professions shape their outlooks towards business and leisure travel and the increasing intersection of the two. The study surveyed over 17,000 working professionals from 24 countries across more than 20 industries to identify common trends and variations by profession.
Almost a third (30%) of all working professionals accepted their job fully or in part because of the business travel opportunities it offered, highlighting the lure of business travel for employees. When looking into specific professions, this sentiment is echoed most by Architects and Designers (45%) and Management Consultants (38%).
In addition, over a third (38%) say they would actively pursue a new job if it meant they could travel even more for business. This figure rises to 46% among 18-34 year olds, and similarly, Architects and Designers (48%) and Management Consultants (43%). The statistics suggest that employers looking to attract and retain the best talent should consider travel as an intrinsic part of the job package they offer.
Combining business with leisure, but 'bleisure' looks different across professions
A third of professionals (32%) feel their work and leisure time is very intertwined, in particular those in Agriculture and Farming (43%), Architecture and Design (43%), and Management Consultancy (42%). It's no surprise then that, regardless of industry, professionals try to make the most of a destination when traveling for business. Two thirds (69%) extend a business trip by a few hours or days to enjoy the city, while three quarters (73%) make time for leisure activities within a trip. Overall, 45% of professionals value this ability to blend business travel with leisure over traditional workplace benefits.
So what drives professionals to combine a business trip with leisure? The top two factors are based on the destination itself - 62% want to explore a city they haven't visited before, and 39% want to spend more time in a favorite location. But the results also unveil more subtle differences in how professions approach leisure time during a business trip:
Reasons for combining Global Professional differences
business with leisure Professional
average
Take advantage of a weekend Technology (46%)
off in a business destination 39% Banking and Finance (44%)
Social and Welfare (42%)
Have time away from work to Hospitality and Leisure (43%)
recharge 38% Medical and Health (42%)
Local or National Government (41%)
Extend a work trip to make a Architects & Designers (30%)
long-haul flight more 21% Management Consultancy (26%)
manageable
Save money with some travel Education (39%)
expenses already covered 35% Social & Welfare (39%)
Local or National Government (38%)
For those who extend business trips for leisure time, the majority do so by 24 hours (41%), followed by 2-3 days (29%) and a few hours (24%). In terms of how people spend this off-the-clock time, the results paint an interesting picture of today's modern traveling professional. While more conventional activities, such as exploring well-known attractions (57%), trying local cuisine or dining at top restaurants (42%) and shopping (40%), emerged as the top three activities overall, there are interesting variations across professions:
- Experiencing local art and culture is among the top three activities for those in Architecture and Design (45%), Management Consultancy (43%) and Education (42%)
- Construction and Engineering (26%), Communications and Media (26%), Charity and NGO (25%) and Legal (25%) professionals are more likely than others to spend time with colleagues or clients outside of work
- Social and Welfare (22%), Armed Forces (22%) and Agriculture and Farming (21%) professionals are more likely to sleep or rest during their leisure time
Professional preferences are reflected in leisure travel choices
When looking across all professions, 70% of employees say making time for leisure travel gives them greater job satisfaction. What's more, for the majority (75%), leisure travel helps them to better manage work stress and pressure.
In looking at preferred holiday types, unique trends emerged across professionals:
Top 5 preferred holidays, across all professions
Ultimate relaxation (48%)
Family time (47%)
Food and wine (32%)
Activity or adventure (30%)
Romantic getaway (30%)
Unique holidays, and the profession most likely to book them
Road trips Armed Forces (20%)
Festivals or events: Media and Communications (30%)
Outdoor (camping/wildlife): Agriculture & Farming (26%)
Food and Wine: Management Consultancy (24%)
Wellness (yoga or spa retreat): Social or Welfare (22%)
In terms of the most preferred accommodation for a holiday stay, a place with "local charm" is among the top three choices for all professionals (23%), in addition to mid-market options (31%) and places with all-inclusive deals (23%). Variations within select professions were revealed here as well:
Holiday accommodation Professions most likely to
preferences stay there
High-end or Luxury Management Consultancy, and
Banking and Finance - 20% each
Home Away from Home Architecture and Design - 23%
Agriculture and Farming - 19%
Boutique or Novelty Architecture and Design - 20%
Banking and Finance - 15%
Self-catering / Fully serviced Charity & NGO - 22%
Art & Culture - 21%
Unique Accommodation (such as a Architecture and Design - 17%
tent, boat or even treehouse) Armed Forces - 10%
When considering what drives holiday accommodation choice, location is key across all professions, with 43% wanting to be close to local attractions, followed by comfort (34%) and fast and complimentary Wi-Fi (31%). Having a strong start to the day is also essential, with the top prioritized accommodation amenities across professions being a comfortable bed (62%) and a hearty breakfast (42%).
Ripsy Bandourian, Senior Director of Product Development, at Booking.com for Business comments: "Having opportunities to travel for business is increasingly prized by working professionals, led by the millennial generation. And more than ever, business travelers want to maximize their time spent in a business destination for both work and leisure. At Booking.com for Business, we recognize that business travelers' motivations and preferences for travel and accommodation vary greatly. That's why we offer greater choice on where to stay with the widest range of unique accommodation options, coupled with the flexibility and technology to make and change bookings seamlessly and on-the-go."
NOTES TO EDITORS
Research commissioned by Booking.com for Business and independently conducted among a sample of working professionals (full or part-time employed adults who have traveled internationally in the last 12 months, provided by Vitreous World. In total, 17,038 respondents were surveyed (1,000+ from the UK, US, Brazil, China, Germany, Italy, Spain, France, India and Russia and 500+ each from Australia, Argentina, Canada, Denmark, Hong Kong, Croatia, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, Thailand and Taiwan). Respondents completed an online survey from 3rd to 18th August, 2017.
About Booking.com
Established in 1996 in Amsterdam, Booking.com B.V. has grown from a small Dutch start-up to one of the largest travel e-commerce companies in the world. Part of The Priceline Group (NASDAQ: PCLN), Booking.com now employs more than 15,000 employees in 199 offices in 70 countries worldwide.
With a mission to empower people to experience the world, Booking.com invests in digital technology that helps take the friction out of travel. At Booking.com, we connect travelers with the world's largest selection of incredible places to stay, including everything from apartments, vacation homes, and family-run B&Bs to 5-star luxury resorts, tree houses and even igloos. The Booking.com website and mobile apps are available in over 40 languages, offer over 1.4 million properties, and cover more than 120,000 destinations in 227 countries and territories worldwide.
Each day, more than 1.5 million room nights are reserved on our platform. So, whether traveling for business or leisure, customers can instantly book their ideal accommodation quickly and easily with Booking.com, without booking fees and backed up by our promise to price match. Via our customer experience team, customers can reach Booking.com 24/7 for assistance and support in 43 languages, any time of the day or night.
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About Booking.com for Business
Booking.com for business (http://www.booking.com/business) is a tailored offering specifically focused on business bookers and travelers to allow seamless booking and managing of business travel in the simplest, smartest and most rewarding way. More than one in five bookings made on Booking.com are made for business. Enhanced features for business travel on Booking.com highlight those places which are frequently used for business, tapping into its extensive review data to make easy work of finding those that are business traveler tested and approved. Booking.com for Business also provides a free tool for travel managers and assistants that allows booking on behalf of others. Booking.com for Business is a platform with enhanced functionality and reporting designed to meet the specific needs of corporate travel, while delivering the same ease as Booking.com enabling every business traveler to book with confidence, wherever their business takes them.
CONTACT DETAILS
For further information, contact the Booking.com US Press Office at [email protected] .
SOURCE Booking.com
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