The Rise of Bleisure Travel & Remote Work – What Does That Mean for Transportation Professionals? 

“Are you here for business or pleasure?” “Both.” You must have heard such an exchange in movies. Here’s some good news- it is quickly becoming common, and inducing a shift in overlapping industries, including travel and transport. Simply mixing work and pleasure travel into one trip is referred to as “bleisure.” If you combine the two previously distinct sorts of travel, you may find that you’re less stressed out when you’re away from home. 

If a business traveler needs a few more days of relaxation before embarking on a work trip, bleisure can serve as a pleasant reminder that they can relax and enjoy the city. To learn more about bleisure, check out our thoughts on the subject in this post. 

What is “Bleisure”? 

“Bleisure” is a combination of “work” and “leisure.” It entails combining business visits with vacations. Bleisure is a combination of business and pleasure travel. There’s an increasing number of people taking up this kind of travel. In light of this, Forbes has cited the following stats: 

• 78% of today’s young adults deliberately schedule personal time into their professional trips. 
• 74% of frequent business travelers wish their company travel policy included a budget for fun and relaxation while away from the office. 

A typical work trip lasts two days, however a vacation can last anywhere from six to ten days. 

Bleisure travel has a significant impact on the bottom line of many enterprises, as seen by such statistics. There has been a 20% annual increase in bleisure travel revenue in the last three years. Many factors contribute to the rise of leisure travel. Most significantly, it improves employee morale- with no extra expenses for the company. As a result, businesses save money while simultaneously increasing employee satisfaction and attracting top-notch employees. 

In a growing trend, it has been noticed that some employees will take a slightly lower wage in exchange for more business trips. Airlines and travel agencies promote leisure travel in addition to offering lower-cost flights. No one is surprised by this because they also profit from referral fees and extended stays. 

It’s also becoming increasingly widespread for firms to work from home, making it easier to work while on the road. In the case of freelancers and “digital nomads,” or people who work from anywhere, this holds an even greater value. 

Impact Of Bleisure Travel on Luxury Transportation Professionals 

It’s no secret that the transportation industry has cemented its position as a critical component of the global network system. According to studies, travelers spend almost 30% to 40% of their vacation budget on transportation, with the rest going towards eating, lodging, and other activities. As a result of the increase of bleisure travel, the sector will gain a fresh lease on life with a newfound boost. 

People are willing to return to work and resume business trips. Most sectors with links to the corporate travel industry or tourism in general expect a boom. But, this boom may be higher in terms of traveler numbers than in terms of profits. According to a recent survey, bleisure travelers tend to travel frequently. Up to 32% take business trips either once or twice a month, and 38% travel for work once every 2 or 3 months. According to a Global Business Travel Association survey, respondents take roughly seven professional trips each year. This means that the customer base for your services is vast and ready for your appeals! A surge in the number of corporate travelers indicates a surge in the potential customer base for your sedan, limo, or luxury transportation operations. 

In the post-pandemic world, there is a greater focus on conducting business meetings and discussions in ‘untraditional’ places. You can appeal to corporates by offering them an impressive and efficient means to travel from hotels to scenic or highly-popular meeting locations. This way, business proceedings can go well for corporate purposes with a characteristic laidback touch. Moreover, when people extend their business trips, they naturally require transportation for a longer period than they initially would have. That, of course, means you’ll have more hours to service and bigger profits as well. 

A simple business trip would involve a fixed itinerary with formal plans. When people take bleisure trips, they also expand their itineraries, giving you more room to step in with your services.  

Understanding Your Bleisure Traveler Customer Base 

It would help to understand bleisure traveler profiles to prepare your transportation services for a rebound in corporate and leisure travel. You can start by observing business travelers’ activity and the private information they supply when browsing for travel choices. 

The analysis of your observations will help you see if they are inspired to stretch their stay with leisure, or if they wish to work in a vacation setting. These complementing categories can also be used to give a consumer a bargain they are likely to accept. Consider the time frame of their trip, the locations on their itinerary, and the basic goal of their bleisure trip. You can take other factors like age range, gender, marital status, and professional activities into account as well. These can help you determine the kind of services your potential customers would be happy to seek. 

Opportunities in the Livery Industry  

The rise of bleisure travel is a development that presents tour and transport operators with a fresh and growing opportunity. You can achieve an edge over your rivals by reaching out to bleisure travelers at the right time(with exceptional offers). Furthermore, the ability to increase your web referrals and boost positive reviews might have a long-term influence on your service. So, how do you make the most of such an opportunity? 

You can attract the attention of bleisure travelers at the right time and right place with high-value, tailor-made offers. However, this will be possible only if you know who they are and what they’re looking for. So, make sure you do your research and understand your customer base. Some of the best strategies to reach bleisure travelers based on their profiles and service or preferences are listed below. 

1. Engage With Travel Agencies Or Vacation Planners – Travel agency networks make great playing fields for advertising your services, more so for transportation professionals. If you collaborate with these networks, bleisure travelers will know more about the services you provide just as they are planning their bleasure trips. You can also go the extra mile and partner with associated businesses, like formal restaurants or co-working spaces. This way, you’ll appeal to bleisure customers while creating new business ties and paving the way for future recommendations. 
2. Use Content Marketing to the Fullest – You can also make exclusive content offers to bleisure passengers. What are the best locations in the area for business meetings? Which restaurants or coffee shops offer free and fast Wi-Fi? What are some convenient office spaces? What are some must-visit places in the city? What’s more, is that the likelihood of the bleisure travelers choosing you for their transportation requirements becomes higher if you show up on Google when they’re doing their travel research. They could even sign up for your newsletters and emails, and become regulars if they take bleisure trips frequently to your area. 
3. Participate In Networking Events – In return for recognition as a transportation sponsor, you can also remain at the forefront of important networking events and further promote them. Additionally, you can even arrange an event yourself if you have the necessary resources.  With this, you can help build awareness within local companies as well as among foreign passengers. 
4. If you’re in a place where digital nomads mingle, organizing such networking events can result in a lot of recommendations for your company later. There are several online forums for digital nomads where members share transportation service ideas for locations across the world. 
5. Nurture Partnerships – You can also work with some loyalty programs and, if you’re lucky, credit cards. Frequent bleisure travelers typically accumulate points, which they could as well spend to avail your luxury transport services- who wouldn’t?  Establishing partnerships with credit card providers can help your transportation service in the long run, where the link between you and your partner might attract people. 
6. Offer Special Discounts – Here’s where the research on your customer base will come in very handy. Travelers with a significant other or children may be more inclined to take advantage of your services if you offer special discounts for them. For instance, you can offer discounted prices for a group of more than 3 people. As another example, you can also offer special packages to corporations who may decide to hire your services for the entire duration of the business trip. They may then continue to stay on board with you after transitioning into their days of fun after the business work is done! 
7. Keep Your Website Up and Running – Of course, you must master the basics which apply to both business and leisure travelers. It’s essential to have your website and promotions translated into major languages, or at the very least English, and provide clear travel directions. You can take your website to the next level by starting your own blog or posting about the events and places of interest in your area. You can also start offering fully formed itineraries with transport included. 

Maximize Upselling with LimoLive24

This market is expanding and provides a promising potential for transportation providers. If you approach bleisure travelers at the right time, you may stand to earn significant benefits and long-term revenue from them.  So, make sure you study your customers well and start devising fresh strategies to attract and retain customers soon!  

When you work with LL24, you get the support of live call agents who are dedicated to working in the livery industry. They are trained to handle clients requests, schedule rides, and upsell whenever appropriate.