The Bleisure industry has been growing year on year. In fact, there was a 40 percent increase in bleisure trips in the US from 2016 to 2018. Bleisure is here to stay, but what exactly is it and what are the stats and facts surrounding it? In this report we will answer those questions and many more.

What is Bleisure?

Definition: Bleisure is the practice of combining business travel and leisure travel into one trip.

Bleisure is a portmanteau of “business” and “leisure”.

What is the bleisure market size?

  • Americans make more than 405 million long-distance business trips per year
  • In the US, it is estimated that 243 million business trips (60 percent) turn into bleisure trips

Table of Contents

How many business trips turn into bleisure trips?

What industries do bleisure travellers come from?

How often do bleisure travellers make overnight business trips?

How long is the average bleisure travellers business trip?

How many business trips does the average bleisure traveller take per year?

What percentage of bleisure travel is international versus domestic?

What is the typical original purpose of bleisure trips?

What percentage of business trips turn into bleisure trips?

Do bleisure travellers travel alone or with someone else?

How does a bleisure trip divide between business and leisure?

When is a business trip more likely to turn into a bleisure trip?

Why are business trips turned into bleisure trips?

What makes a great bleisure destination?

How many business trips turn into bleisure trips?

  • 60 percent of all business trips turn into bleisure trips
  • 60 percent of US business trips turn into bleisure trips
  • 40 percent increase in bleisure trips in the US from 2016 to 2018
  • 56 percent of UK business trips turn into bleisure trips
  • 65 percent of German business trips turn into bleisure trips
  • 58 percent of Indian business trips turn into bleisure trips
  • 62 percent of Chinese business trips turn into bleisure trips

How many business trips turn into bleisure trips?

What industries do bleisure travellers come from?

  • 24 percent of bleisure travellers work in Technology/IT/Software
  • 13 percent of bleisure travellers work in Manufacturing
  • 12 percent of bleisure travellers work in Finance
  • 8 percent of bleisure travellers work in Healthcare
  • 6 percent of bleisure travellers work in Education

what industry do bleisure travelers comes from

How often do bleisure travellers make overnight business trips?

  • 5 percent of bleisure travellers make overnight business trips once per week
  • 9 percent of bleisure travellers make overnight business trips 3+ times a month
  • 23 percent of bleisure travellers make overnight business trips once or twice a month
  • 36 percent of bleisure travellers make overnight business trips once every 2-3 months
  • 20 percent of bleisure travellers make overnight business trips once every 4-6 months
  • 7 percent of bleisure travellers make overnight business trips once a year

How often do bleisure travellers make business trips?

How long is the average bleisure travellers business trip?

  • 12 percent of bleisure travellers stay 1 night on a business trip
  • 39 percent of bleisure travellers stay 2 nights on a business trip
  • 31 percent of bleisure travellers stay 3 nights on a business trip
  • 17 percent of bleisure travellers stay 4+ nights on a business trip

How many business trips does the average bleisure traveller take per year?

  • Globally, bleisure travellers take an average of 6.4 trips per year
  • In the US, bleisure travellers take an average of 6.4 trips per year
  • In the UK, bleisure travellers take an average of 6.5 trips per year
  • In Germany, bleisure travellers take an average of 6 trips per year
  • In India, bleisure travellers take an average of 7.4 trips per year
  • In China, bleisure travellers take an average of 6 trips per year

What percentage of bleisure travel is international versus domestic?

  • Globally, 29 percent of bleisure travel is international travel
  • Globally, 71 percent of bleisure travel is domestic travel
  • In the US, 12 percent of bleisure travel is international travel
  • In the US, 88 percent of bleisure travel is domestic travel
  • In the UK, 36 percent of bleisure travel is international travel
  • In the UK, 64 percent of bleisure travel is domestic travel
  • In Germany, 36 percent of bleisure travel is international travel
  • In Germany, 64 percent of bleisure travel is domestic travel
  • In India, 38 percent of bleisure travel is international travel
  • In India, 62 percent of bleisure travel is domestic travel
  • In China, 23 percent of bleisure travel is international travel
  • In China, 77 percent of bleisure travel is domestic travel

What is the typical original purpose of bleisure trips?

  • 67 percent of bleisure trips start as a trip to a conference
  • 46 percent of bleisure trips start as a trip to an external meeting
  • 42 percent of bleisure trips start as a sales trip
  • 30 percent of bleisure trips start as a trip to an internal meeting
  • 5 percent of bleisure trips start as a trip for “other” reasons

What is the typical original purpose of bleisure trips?

What percentage of business trips turn into bleisure trips?

  • 51 percent of domestic business trips turn into bleisure trips
  • 52 percent of international business trips turn into bleisure trips

Do bleisure travellers travel alone or with someone else?

  • 65 percent of bleisure travellers travel alone
  • 35 percent of bleisure travellers travel with someone else
  • 64 percent of bleisure travellers do not have friends/family in the destination
  • 36 percent of bleisure travellers have friends/family in the destination

How does a bleisure trip divide between business and leisure?

  • Globally, the average bleisure trip is 6.8 days.  This is divided into 57 percent business, 43 percent leisure
  • In the US, the average bleisure trip is 6.3 days.  This is divided into 59 percent business, 41 percent leisure
  • In the UK, the average bleisure trip is 6.2 days.  This is divided into 55 percent business, 45 percent leisure
  • In Germany, the average bleisure trip is 7 days.  This is divided into 54 percent business, 46 percent leisure
  • In India, the average bleisure trip is 9 days.  This is divided into 55 percent business, 45 percent leisure
  • In China, the average bleisure trip is 5.4 days.  This is divided into 62 percent business, 38 percent leisure

When is a business trip more likely to turn into a bleisure trip?

  • 16 percent of business trips turn into bleisure trips if the stay is 4+ nights
  • 50 percent of business trips turn into bleisure trips if the stay is 2 or 3 nights
  • 12 percent of business trips turn into bleisure trips if the stay is 1 night
  • 49 percent of business trips turn into bleisure trips if the destination is far from home
  • 12 percent of business trips turn into bleisure trips if the destination is close to home

Why are business trips turned into bleisure trips?

  • 48 percent of business travellers say “great entertainment/activity city” influenced their decision to stay for bleisure
  • 43 percent of business travellers say “bucket list/must visit location” influenced their decision to stay for bleisure
  • 38 percent of business travellers say “easy to navigate city” influenced their decision to stay for bleisure
  • 37 percent of business travellers say “how many nights I can stay” influenced their decision to stay for bleisure
  • 37 percent of business travellers say “how close to the weekend” influenced their decision to stay for bleisure
  • 37 percent of business travellers say “additional personal costs” influenced their decision to stay for bleisure
  • 34 percent of business travellers say “great recreation city” influenced their decision to stay for bleisure
  • 32 percent of business travellers say “friends can come” influenced their decision to stay for bleisure

What makes a great bleisure destination?

  • 56 percent of business travellers say “Food and Resaturants” make a great bleisure destination
  • 52 percent of business travellers say “Beaches” make a great bleisure destination
  • 51 percent of business travellers say “Natural sightseeing locations” make a great bleisure destination
  • 50 percent of business travellers say “Weather” makes a great bleisure destination
  • 49 percent of business travellers say “Historical monuments and sightseeing” make a great bleisure destination
  • 41 percent of business travellers say “Museums, art and culture” make a great bleisure destination
  • 39 percent of business travellers say “Iconic, buckets list desintations” make great bleisure destinations
  • 39 percent of business travellers say “Outdoor recreation” makes a great bleisure destination

Source: A survey of 2,551 bleisure travelers by Expedia.