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Check-in with Suzanne
I Overheard This Business Traveler…
Recently at a tightly seated restaurant in New York City, I couldn’t help but overhear a couple of business people greeting each other as they sat down:
“So, how was Milwaukee?”
“Frankly, I saw the airport, the hotel, and the venue for our six-hour meeting – and then I came back here. I didn’t really notice much else.”
All of us as business travel professionals have been in a similar situation – as have the thousands of travelers whose trips we’re intrinsically involved with in our industry every day. But it doesn’t have to be that way [all the time], does it? My mantra since the pandemic, finally learning from savvy industry colleagues, has become: Make time to get out of the business venue, when possible, to visit a city or country that a business trip takes me to. And while I can’t do that on every business trip, when I can, I know it is good for the destination, for expanding my cultural awareness, and even for increasing satisfaction with my job and work.
Our GBTA research tells us that 62% of global business travelers are blending travel more than they did pre-pandemic, with 42% adding on days to a business trip. And for those of you in the hospitality space, 79% are staying in the same property when they’re extending that business trip.
… Which brings me to this week. Our GBTA team is here in Singapore, where our GBTA APAC Conference has begun today. Some of us have made a sustainable choice to make great use of long flights to extend beyond the conference to work and recharge. It is our second year as a joint conference with WERC – where worker relocation brings an additional dimension to international travel and cultural awareness.
Blending work and leisure is another opportunity at the GBTA Convention in Atlanta – where the CVB has put together a range of choices if you’re coming early, staying longer, or bringing your family to enjoy the city while you’re working. Our own GBTA Allied Leadership Council member, Bob Somers from Delta Air Lines, serves as the Atlanta CVB Board of Directors Chair – and we’re happy to link Atlanta’s best experiences with the thousands of GBTA Convention attendees this July.
And lastly, make sure to register for the GBTA Board of Directors Candidate Forum on May 22 to hear from those seeking your vote in the upcoming election. You can view the candidates here and use your vote to help shape the future of business travel.
Suzanne
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