Bet On Bleisure

It’s pronounced bee-leisure and if you’ve ever traveled for work, you’ve probably taken part in it. Essentially it is the adding of any non-business activities to a business trip. This might not seem like a big deal, but a few years ago it wasn't a very common thing to do. According to a Study conducted by Expedia Group:

In 2016, only 43% of business travelers added a leisure element to their trip but that number has shot up to over 60% in 2018.

Two questions come to mind when I discover seemingly significant shifts in consumer market behavior in relatively short periods of time: why and what?

Why the change?

Prior to 2016, the economy wasn't exactly stable and technology was emerging but not reliable- yet. In 2016 the cost of fuel came down which made travel cheaper, technology improved which made booking activities easier, and industry disrupters like Uber and AirBnB were gaining traction. All of these forces worked simultaneously to form a super wave of accessibility for travel and thus adding a day or two to a business trip for some sight seeing didn’t feel like a hassle.

Fast forward to 2018 and we see these types of changes amplified and magnified. From companies like Lola that make business travel super easy with the help of A.I, to companies like Hopper that predict flight and hotel prices and alert you…