- Survey of over 3000 global travellers finds that ‘bleisure’ – a trend of combining a work trip with leisure activities – is emerging as a popular holiday habit
- Travellers’ prevailing motivation for the trend is the flexibility afforded by working schedules
- A business trip with leisure time added afterwards being the most popular type of ‘bleisure’ trip
‘Bleisure’, a trend of combining a work trip with leisure activities, is becoming a mainstream and sustained component of travel and hospitality demand, according to new data from global professional services firm Alvarez & Marsal.
According to the survey of 3818 global travellers, close to a third (31%) have taken combined business and leisure trips in the past 12 months. When examining the reasons behind the growth, the prevailing motivation was the flexibility afforded by working schedules (41%), demonstrating the profound impact that additional versatility around working schedules, post-pandemic, is having upon holiday habits. Other motivations included the cost of living (37%), the facilities at the accommodation (36%) and availability of family or friends at the destination (31%).
Regarding the approach to bleisure travel, only a minority (27%) indicated the preference for leisure as a precursor to a work-related trip, whilst nearly half (45%) extended their business trips with leisure activity at the end, showing a desire to unwind and explore following work commitments, see Table 1. Notably, bleisure trips tend to be relatively short in duration, with only 4% of respondents opting to extend their stay by five nights or more.
Table 1: Methods of combining business and leisure travel
| Business trip with added leisure time at the end | 45% |
| Leisure trip with added remote work at the start | 36% |
| Business trip with added leisure time at the start | 27% |
| Leisure trip with added remote work at the end | 21% |
| Other | 3% |
Ed Bignold, Managing Director with Alvarez & Marsal and Head of Travel, Hospitality & Leisure, said: “The travel industry has demonstrated extraordinary post-Covid resilience, and the rise of ‘bleisure’ trips to a mainstream travel option is yet another example of how the industry has adapted and flexed to consumers’ ever-changing preferences.
This latest data is most interesting however, as it provides evidence that the new ‘bleisure’ demand base is both more significant than many expected and being sustained over a meaningful period of time, which therefore has implications for how travel and hospitality operators are defining their products, brands and distribution, as well as for investors and owners insofar as the CAPEX choices being made at the asset level.
About the Survey
This report is based on data from online surveys conducted by Alvarez & Marsal, IncQuery, and Dynata among 3,818 adults in France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Spain, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom. The survey had 39 closed-ended questions and was conducted in September 2023.
About Alvarez & Marsal
Companies, investors and government entities around the world turn to Alvarez & Marsal (A&M) for leadership, action and results. Privately held since its founding in 1983, A&M is a leading global professional services firm that provides advisory, business performance improvement and turnaround management services. When conventional approaches are not enough to create transformation and drive change, clients seek our deep expertise and ability to deliver practical solutions to their unique problems.
With more than 8,000 people providing services across six continents, we deliver tangible results for corporates, boards, private equity firms, law firms and government agencies facing complex challenges. Our senior leaders, and their teams, leverage A&M’s restructuring heritage to help companies act decisively, catapult growth and accelerate results. We are experienced operators, world-class consultants, former regulators and industry authorities with a shared commitment to telling clients what’s really needed for turning change into a strategic business asset, managing risk and unlocking value at every stage of growth.
To learn more, visit: AlvarezandMarsal.com