Incentive travel on the rise according to the latest C&IT study
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A connection tool for new types of audience
One of the topics discussed is the fact that companies are more aware of internal communication, encouraging relationships and loyalty… Organizations want to retain talent. Traditionally, incentive travel has been for sales departments, but nowadays companies are including other employees too. The report says that staff feels more valued by the organization as part of an incentive travel. Furthermore, in companies with different offices, this activity provides the opportunity to meet colleagues in other offices, promotes networking and community development. At the same time, companies also want “engagement” with their audiences, enhance relationships, make them live an experience… These are some reasons why incentives are on the rise.
Not only be good, you also have to communicate it!
We all remember the scandals related to incentives at the beginning of the crisis, when large entities saved with public money sent their executives on luxury travel. This has damaged the image: the word incentive is not viewed favorably by some companies who see in it a negative connotation and prefer to give it another name, such as “premium”, “reward” or “motivational trip”… In fact 60% of respondents said the term incentive travel is being used less and it is replaced by a terminology more focused on reward and recognition.
Tailor-made suit
Incentive travel gets personal; companies are requesting more relaxed environments that allow guests to enjoy the destination in their own time. All this may seem obvious, but recently it was normal to offer compressed programs, full of activities.
Cost and image
52% of the agencies said that the budget is the biggest obstacle and 20% also quoted perception, because sometimes the incentive trip is seen as an unnecessary expense, perhaps because of a lack of vision for the incentive travel as a creator of loyalty and a motivating tool.
Best situation
Although the recovery is still recent and depends on the sectors, 41% believe budgets will increase, while the remaining 59% believe that the budget will remain at the same level. Nobody expected a drop of incentive budgets. Likewise, 63% of respondents believe that the number of delegates by 2016 will remain stable.
Until the end of the world…
A victim of the crisis, long-haul incentives seem to recover: 54% said they see an increase in long-distance travel. Among the favorites places are New York, South Africa, Dubai and Mauritius. Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Hawaii and Costa Rica, among the destinations listed as potential for incentives in the future.
