Millennials and Gen Z Poised to Spearhead a Rise in Bleisure Travel after COVID-19

Before COVID-19, the ‘bleisure’ travel trend, defined as a mix of business and leisure travel, was taking off, driven by the Millennials (or Gen Y), a large, important travelling group.  Already keen travellers, Millennials are well known to be keen on experiential travel that offers an authentic insight into a destination, immersing themselves into new cultures and local lives. 

To be able to be able to satisfy that urge while working for a living has become a dream come true for many driven young professionals.  Moving into the sector, the Gen Z generation (aged up to 25 in 2021) are the newest entrants to the workforce who look set to be every bit as keen on bleisure as their older counterparts.

Young business travellers in their 20s, 30s and 40s are shifting away from chain hotels in the business districts to stay in personally chosen boutique hotels and guest houses in local, more vibrant city areas.  The sharing economy is also getting in on the bleisure action and around 15% of Airbnb guests are  travelling for business.  Not only has Airbnb established a section of its website for individuals making their own work travel arrangements, it has also created a resource for businesses to use the platform on behalf of its employees to book accommodation, experiences and work spaces.

The benefits of bleisure to companies, employees and destinations are clear.  Encouraging bleisure is increasingly viewed as a measure to stimulate job satisfaction and productivity. For destinations, focusing on the bleisure market helps to address seasonality issues through availability of travel products year-round which may also have a positive impact on the challenges of overtourism. 

For local tour operators looking to cater for the bleisure tourist, there are multiple opportunities.  Culinary experiences, which are some of the most popular tourism experiences on the market today, are relatively easy to implement and can give participants a truly immersive and authentic local experience.  Sightseeing tours that are well-guided and personalised can showcase a destination’s culture and heritage to its very best.  For bleisure visitors keen to enjoy natural splendours of life beyond their business venue, local operators providing ecotourism, nature and outdoor activities are also in good position to broaden their markets.