The bizcation is becoming a significant travel market trend.
Regardless of the economic climate or level of geopolitical stability, there are some industries and marketplaces that continue to evolve. The manufacturing sector provides a relevant case in point, as while nations such as the UK and the U.S have placed a greater emphasis on services in recent times, the production of physical goods continues to create jobs and drive revenues.
In the UK alone, for example, manufacturing accounts for 52% of the nations exports and continues to employ an estimated 2.5 million people.
The travel sector is another evolutionary industry, and one which constantly melds to the behaviour of businesses and consumers alike. One of the most compelling recent trends revolves around a concept known as bizcation, which refers to an excursion (sometimes funded commercially) that combines both business and pleasure.
This trend has emerged as a result of socio-economic and technological developments. Just Fly Business, the business class flight specialists has seen the demand in this sector rise considerably amid falling prices.
The Just Fly Business MD, Mr Alex Way, says “innovation and technological advancement has changed the way in people work across the globe. We’re far more interconnected than we were 5-10 years ago and is ultimately why more business professionals can be as, if not, more productive from the other side of the world on a beach, compared to sat at their office desk.”
3 Bizcation Stats and What We Can Glean From Them
The rise of the Bizcation trend is reflected in a number of different statistics, each offering us insight into the changing nature of commercial (and personal) travel. For example: -
“43% of Overseas Travellers Take Their Professional Mobile Devices With Them”
Let's start with the most intriguing statistic, and one that relates to personal travel and holidays rather than business trips. According to Pullman Hotels, 43% of international travellers always take their professional mobile devices with them when they embark on a personal holiday, while hardware such as smartphones and tablets also dominate their routines and behaviours while abroad.
This reflects the level of connectivity and engagement that drives modern workplaces, while also offering an insight to how mobile technology is making employees more productive.
“43% of People Now Work Regularly Outside of the Workplace”
People are now working significantly more hours outside of the workplace.
Similarly, 43% of global employees now work regularly outside of their traditional working hours, whether this is in the evenings, at the start of the day or when they are abroad enjoying a family holiday. This may have a great deal to do with the fact that we now operate in increasingly flexible and interconnected workplaces, where technology has broken down the physical barriers that once hindered employers.
More specifically, the concept of BYOD has enabled employees to use their own devices for work-related tasks, which in turn empowers them to complete various, ad-hoc jobs outside of the office. The emergence of the Cloud and remote communication tools have also made it easier to seamlessly share files and information in real-time, meaning that any space in the world can be converted into a virtual office.
“Tourism Hotspots Like India and Bali are Becoming Increasingly Business-focused”
In case you hadn't noticed, the diversity that exists within the business travel market has increased dramatically during the last decade. So while China and the U.S. continue to dominate this sector, we have seen a number of tourism hotspots become increasingly popular among brands over the last decade.
Take Bali, for example, which is fast emerging as a commercial hub and one that is ideal for conferences, seminars and international meetings. Similarly, India's growth as a competitively priced agricultural and manufacturing provider has also seen it established as an commercial hotspot, with data from the GBTA confirming that the country currently has the highest business travel rate in the world.
With more diverse locations entering the business travel market, the ‘bizcation' is becoming an increasingly viable work outlet for professionals throughout the world.