Business travelers from India are increasingly investing time and money
to add leisure experiences to their work trips.
According to a recent study commissioned by Expedia Group Media Solutions
and conducted by Luth Research, Indian business travelers took an average of
seven business trips during the past year, and they extended more than half of
them (58%) for leisure purposes.
The study, Unpacking Bleisure Traveler Trends, analyzes the behaviors,
influences, resources, and preferences of 2,500 bleisure travelers from India, the
United States, the United Kingdom, China and Germany.
It found that almost
nine out of 10 Indian business travelers save money specifically for add-on
leisure experiences, and more than 40% proactively begin saving even
before they have a business trip scheduled.
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When deciding where and
how to spend that money, 63% of Indian business travelers conduct research using
a search engine, 59% talk to friends and family and 55% use travel-related
websites, including online travel agency, airline, hotel and review sites.
And topping their list
of interests are destinations with great entertainment (57%) and visiting an
iconic or bucket list destination (52%).
The preferred destination
for a bleisure experience for this audience is London, followed by New York, Singapore,
Sydney and Dubai. But Indian business travelers are more willing than other nationalities
surveyed to travel three to five hours by plane, train, car or bus for the
leisure portion of their trip.
“Indian bleisure travelers are willing to travel further and budget more
for bleisure trips than any other nation, which underscores the importance of
reaching this audience,” says Andrew van der Feltz, senior director, EMEA and
APAC for Expedia Group Media Solutions.
“As the Indian bleisure market continues to grow, this research will
empower marketers to strategically target and convert this valuable and growing
group of travelers within the condensed research and booking window. By
showcasing unique experiences and activities, which are influential factors
during the decision-making process, every destination, hotel, restaurant,
attraction, airline and more can entice Indian business travelers to extend
their trip for leisure.”
About 90% of Indian bleisure travelers
say there are destinations they have visited or will visit in the future for
business that they would like to extend for leisure.
Ctrip, MakeMyTrip and others speak at The Phocuswright Conference 2018