Most road warriors agree that business travel is hard, but it’s worth it. At least that’s the conclusion of a recent study.
The research by CWT, a B2B4E travel management platform, shows that business travelers feel that positives outweigh negatives at work (92%) and at home (82%) when traveling for business. Travelers from the Americas are the most enthusiastic at 94% and 86% respectively, followed by travelers from Asia Pacific at 93% and 84%, and Europe at 89% and 77%.
“Traveling to a new destination, meeting someone face-to-face for the first time, networking with people that can help you to advance your business as well as your career, and getting out of the work routine are some of the most exciting factors associated to business travel according to our findings” said Niklas Andréen, Executive VP and Chief Traveler Experience Officer at CWT. “It’s important that we recognize the true value that travelers find in their travels, and understand what provides the most positive benefits while on the road.”
CWT’s research also shows that developing trust (39%), getting to know people better (32%), and efficiencies (31%) are the top three benefits of meeting with people in person for travelers worldwide.
European travelers value getting to know people the most (37%), followed by the Americas (36%), and travelers from Asia Pacific (25%). Europeans also value the efficiencies of meeting people face-to-face the most (34%), followed by travelers from Asia Pacific (31%), and the Americas (29%).
Another perk of traveling for business is the possibility of extending a trip for pleasure. The average number of times in the past 12 months that the respondents have extended their trip is 2.4. Travelers from the Americas took the lead with 2.7 times, followed by 2.4 in Europe, and 2.3 in Asia Pacific. The average number of days – globally – was 4.3 days.
The research also uncovered that companies are mostly supportive of Bleisure travel if employees pay for their personal expenses (76%), especially in Asia Pacific (79%) and the Americas (77%). Companies in Europe fell short at 70%.
The bottomline is business travel is hard, but it’s worth it for most people.
