The New Face of Incentive Travel

Just like almost everything else, incentive travel has emerged from the COVID era forever changed.

Findings from the annual trends survey released by the Incentive Research Foundation tell the story. For one, experience and exclusivity are key. That might mean private access to normally crowded venues, exclusive guides and
insider stories, or meals in unexpected locations. International programs are trending, with a rising demand for lesser-known destinations. And having more downtime is now the number one priority of attendees.

A recent interview with Annette Gregg, the new CEO of the Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE), revealed similar insights. SITE has seen a huge increase in “revenge travel,” with people making up for the experiences they lost during the pandemic. Employees are often combining a work trip with leisure travel—and that trickles into incentive trips, with top performers bringing their families along. 

With the shift toward remote work, it’s also clear that now that many of us are working apart, it’s never been more important to come together. While the key objective of incentive travel has been to reward performance, it is now, more than ever, being used to foster team spirit. The latest Incentive Travel Index—a collaboration between the IRF, SITE and FICP (Financial & Insurance Conference Professionals)—found that 66 percent of buyers are shifting future programs toward a greater focus on soft benefits, such as company culture, engagement and relationships. Ninety-one percent of all respondents agreed that, with this new dispersed workforce, these benefits are key to program success.

The data tells all: The past three years have changed the face of incentives—perhaps forever—and it’s imperative that we design programs with that in mind. In this month’s cover story, sr. contributing editor Regina Baraban introduces a host of exciting and exclusive luxury experiences: overnighting on top of a glacier in yurts in Alaska; feeding wild dolphins in Australia; attending fashion shows in France; viewing wild polar bears in Canada; participating in ocean cleansing in O’ahu and hiking by ancient petroglyphs in the USVI. Don’t miss it. 

Also in this issue, you’ll get the 4-1-1 on what new meeting and incentive experiences are on offer in both the southeastern and northeastern U.S., as well as Texas and California. And when it comes to cruising, you’ll here from the top brass at various cruise lines on their immersive incentive programs. There’s also an array of on locations—Bungalows Key Largo, Columbus, Las Vegas and Virgin Voyages’ Valiant Lady. 

Enjoy the issue. —Barbara Scofidio