Bleisure - a Blend of Business and Leisure

The concept of travelling for work is nothing new. Many business people almost exclusively choose jobs where they will not only have the opportunity to grow business-wise, but also to travel a lot. On our blog, we have recently written about digital nomads, persons who work exclusively through their laptops and smartphones in order to be able to change their place of residence every few months. It is no surprise then that there is a special term used for the perfect blend of business and travel – bleisure, from the words business and leisure.

More specifically, the term “bleisure” refers to business people who, aside from business meetings and work commitments, also like to sightsee, visit museums and local restaurants etc. This term has been in use since 2009, and it has been studied since 2011, when a large increase in travels of this type was recorded. Although this phenomenon is mostly present in the US, certain European cities are also popular for bleisure travels.

What do the numbers say?

Bleisure is especially popular among younger business people/travellers, more specifically millennials which make up for almost 40% of all bleisure travellers, while people older than 50 like it a lot less. Almost 10% of all business travels are for bleisure purposes, and they are most common in September and October. The biggest number (40%) of bleisure trips comes from the IT and financial sector.

What exactly are the pros and cons?

For employees, bleisure is an excellent opportunity to mix business with pleasure. On a single trip, they can work and complete all of their work commitments, go to meetings and conferences, while also being able to sightsee new places. Additionally, they can bring family members and friends with them, and turn their business trip into an opportunity to hang out with people who are close to them. This also ensures that the employees feel good and satisfied with themselves and their work.

With time, bleisure has become very popular among employers, too, and many encourage their employees to go on these trips. Bleisure trips can give them insights and knowledge on the culture and the locals in places where they send their employees, which can be good for business. Aside from that, employees are generally more satisfied when they are not under a lot of stress at work, and when they have a chance to relax, which in turn means that they will be more efficient and productive.

Bleisure in Croatia?

Many hotels and renters have recognized this travel trend, so they now have special offers where employers not only get cheaper accommodation prices for their employees, but also adequate rooms for business conferences and meetings. Even though the concept of travelling in the pandemic is a true feat in itself, with the slow opening of country borders and tourist places, the number of trips in 2021 has slowly increased compared to the previous year.

If you find yourself on a bleisure trip in Croatia, don’t forget that Mololongo offers excellent apartments and villas for all your needs!