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Travelling for work can be a great way to discover new places.The share of long stays (a fortnight or more) jumped from 20% of all bookings in 2019 to 26% in 2022, although this trend varied across different world regions, with considerably larger increases in Asia-Pacific and North America compared to regions like the Caribbean and the Middle East.Whether it's a quick meeting, a conference in a nearby city, or an extended international trip, business travel can be an opportunity to encounter people and destinations we might not otherwise think of. Crucially, business travel has the potential to bring large quantities of high spending visitors to a destination throughout the year, and so extending the tourism season in many cases.The number of 'Mixed Payment' bookings has increased by a staggering 954% since 2019 For employees, combining work and leisure can make trips more affordable, as components of the journey are covered by an employer.The MICE (Meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions) industry is also highlighting opportunities for potential attendees to extend their stay.On Trip.Biz, travellers are increasingly selecting both 'Personal Travel' (for personal spending) and 'Mixed Payments' (to supplement corporate budgets with personal funds).For the employer, allowing staff to combine leisure and business trips can result in higher employee satisfaction and greater workforce retention.A Trip.Biz survey reported that nearly 70% of travel managers are supportive of the idea of mixing leisure with business trips.To take advantage of this growing trend towards blended trips, several governments across the world are introducing specialist visas.Flexible working, which has been accelerated by the pandemic for many, is one of the contributors to the growth of 'blended' trips.Euromonitor forecasts that global spending by traveler's combining business with leisure should more than double between 2021 and 2027 - from US$ 150 billion to about US$ 360 billion.And what are the emerging opportunities for governments and tourism providers?

Travelling for work can be a great way to discover new places. Whether it’s a quick meeting, a conference in a nearby city, or an extended international trip, business travel can be an opportunity to encounter people and destinations we might not otherwise think of. Crucially, business travel has the potential to bring large quantities of high spending visitors to a destination throughout the year, and so extending the tourism season in many cases. And increasingly, more of us are combining work and play – taking time out of a business trip to explore locally or adding a holiday onto the end of a conference. But did our corporate travel habits change in 2022? And what are the emerging opportunities for governments and tourism providers?
Business travel was disproportionately affected by COVID-19, with global corporate travel spending declining by 56% in 2020.
Despite the challenges of the past two years, the sector is now adapting and recovering. Indeed, the value of face-to-face meetings cannot be overstated, and they are unlikely to be completely replaced by online meetings. 2021 saw the start of the recovery for the business segment, which grew by 31% compared with 2020 levels. This rebound in business travel has sparked another trend too: the recovery of so-called ‘blended’ travel. One in six respondents are likely to take blended trips in 2023, according to Skyscanner. Flexible working, which has been accelerated by the pandemic for many, is one of the contributors to the growth of ‘blended’ trips. The MICE (Meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions) industry is also highlighting opportunities for potential attendees to extend their stay. Euromonitor forecasts that global spending by traveler’s combining business with leisure should more than double between 2021 and 2027 – from US$ 150 billion to about US$ 360 billion.
The popularity of blended travel can also be seen in payment data. On Trip.Biz, travellers are increasingly selecting both ‘Personal Travel’ (for personal spending) and ‘Mixed Payments’ (to supplement corporate budgets with personal funds). In 2022, bookings for personal flights increased by 22% in comparison to 2021 and by 33% compared to pre-pandemic, with a similar trend in accommodation bookings. The number of ‘Mixed Payment’ bookings has increased by a staggering 954% since 2019
For employees, combining work and leisure can make trips more affordable, as components of the journey are covered by an employer. They can use those savings to spend in the destination, thereby bringing in more revenue to the local economy. For the employer, allowing staff to combine leisure and business trips can result in higher employee satisfaction and greater workforce retention. A Trip.Biz survey reported that nearly 70% of travel managers are supportive of the idea of mixing leisure with business trips.
Since the pandemic, the rise in blended travel may have contributed to the increase in the overall average length of stay for travelers. In 2019, the average duration for a round-trip booked on Trip.com was nine days. In 2022, it increased to around 14 days.
Data from ForwardKeys shows a similar trend, with the average length of stay up from 11 days in 2019 to 14 days in 2022 (based on arrivals from January to December 2022). The share of long stays (a fortnight or more) jumped from 20% of all bookings in 2019 to 26% in 2022, although this trend varied across different world regions, with considerably larger increases in Asia-Pacific and North America compared to regions like the Caribbean and the Middle East.
To take advantage of this growing trend towards blended trips, several governments across the world are introducing specialist visas. Known as ‘digital nomad’ visas, these allow overseas visitors to work remotely in a country for an extended period, usually tax-free. Barbados, for example, rolled out the ‘Barbados Welcome Stamp’, allowing people to live and work remotely there for 12 months without being subject to local income tax regulations. In Europe, the Spanish government is introducing its own Digital Nomad visa in 2023.