Bleisure is a form of travel that combines business with leisure, and interest in it has started taking off as the percentage of the workforce that is remote increases as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Due to this development, many are wanting to travel around their country and the world and have vacation-like experiences while combining those with virtually getting their work done.
Meanwhile, hotels, airlines and other companies in the travel industry have been scrambling throughout the past year to respond to the plummeting of their industry. Part of the way that they are adjusting to the new normal is by changing their business models to attract and retain bleisure enthusiasts through the utilizing a number of strategies that are designed to appeal to this growing percentage of their clientele.
Providing top-notch technological offerings is essential. These can include the use of smartphone apps that simplify the process of making reservations and taking care of various other travel-related needs, such as accessing local services like eateries and mail delivery.
Additionally, hotels are making their meeting room spaces increasingly accessible for remote teams needing to use them. Some hotels are taking it to another level and creating beach workstations to attract remote workers.
Of course, fast internet speed has become an increasing focus as well, whether that is related to internet access that is being offered by an airline en route to a far-away destination, a hotel providing fast access throughout its property or another travel-related company helping customers take care of their internet-related needs with ease. This feature is especially important to those who need to engage in video meetings or download or upload sizable files.
One example of a community that has needed to adjust significantly over the past year and will continue to do so for some time to come is Dunwoody, Ga., a city of 50,000 that is located 15 miles north of Atlanta. It had been starting to take off a business destination before the COVID-19 virus arrived and was also starting to market itself as a tourist destination at that time as well.
That focus on leisure will likely need to increase now, causing a greater balance and an overall increased focus on bleisure. As a result, Discover Dunwoody has started a campaign to provide a greater spotlight on what this city has to offer those looking for activities related to the leisure portion of their bleisure experiences.
There are several reasons why remote work has started to become more desired, not just amongst employers but amongst employees as well. Employees are just as productive as they were in brick-and-mortar settings while they are glad to enjoy greater flexibility to work from anywhere, which many are doing by engaging in bleisure trips. Also, employers have appreciated recruiting from a worldwide workforce.