ASATA Column: Travel is more than work

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The new business traveller isn’t all work and no play. Today’s Sky Warrior, or Road Warrior, depending on your preferred mode of transport, likes to benefit from experiential perks during work-related trips, such as access to spas, top restaurants and cultural events.

Industry research firm Skift says while business travellers are becoming increasingly productive, they’re also putting more time aside to immerse themselves in their business travel destinations. They’re experience seekers who use business travel as an excuse to explore something new and expand their horizons.

And it’s not surprising that they’re adopting this approach as companies increasingly recognise that work is no longer a place, it is in fact an experience. The anytime, anywhere nature of our jobs today has changed the way we look at our worklife and influenced how we as business travellers inject destination experiences that suit us in to our business travel and in doing so enhance our productivity, change our thinking and enable us to engage and network with our peers on a much greater level.

Yes, business travel is emerging as a lifestyle.

Once dreaded, the prospect of business travel today is an opportunity to expand your horizons, with technological advancements and traveller-friendly facilities like docking stations, cocktail bars, in-flight Wi-Fi and mobile check-in, enabling business travellers to be more efficient and use the time saved more effectively.

Global airport lounge access organisation Priority Pass also highlights this trend saying benefits like lounge access and concierge services are increasing among business travellers, while the importance once given to perks such as flying business class and staying in higher-star-rated hotels is diminishing.

The study also says business travellers prefer to keep their travel benefits to use when going on holiday with their families, and appreciate preferential seating with their families during leisure time. Frequent business travellers are said to be more engaged than leisure travellers in seeking experience-led holidays.

So are these the benefits you, wearing your business traveller hat, are looking for? Or do you have a whole other set of preferences when it comes to business and leisure travel? Chat to your ASATA travel consultant to get the travel perks that will make your business travel heart sing, while ensuring you stay within the parameters of your corporate travel policy. 

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