Corporate Travel Destinations

Have you ever questioned why or if employee incentive travel is more advantageous than a cash bonus? Is there more to incentive travel than just compensating employee(s) for a job well done?

Discerning the things that motivate your employees is a crucial feature of conducting business. It is crucial to learn just what motivates each person as an individual. If the incentive were a trip, where would your employees like to visit? Would they like to be pampered with a spa vacation, go on a cruise to exotic destinations, or is he more fascinated by out-of-doors activities such as water sports or golf? Modifying the incentives you offer is more likely to push employees to do their finest to get the trip.

Incentive travel is an aspect in keeping valued employees members. It is more cost effective to retain skilled individuals working for you rather than to train new people on a regular basis. Thanking employees for a job well done is something else that should not be overlooked. Those two words can stimulate workers on toward a common goal, particularly in difficult times.

Team efforts that earn a wonderful trip for the team involved promote the weaker members to work toward the capability level of the stronger team members. Contests can stimulate but they can also make staff to work against each other. Cooperative efforts many times get more valuable results and turn out employees who are more loyal too.

An all inclusive cruise meeting is one great way to motivate and thank employees. Putting together a corporate event such as a conference or a business meeting at sea makes a lot of sense, especially when it comes to getting the greatest value from the investments. Cruising can literally slash the cost of land based venues by 25-40%, allowing planners to persevere with today's shrinking budgets. Why not make your next corporate incentive event a meeting-at-sea?

Seasite.com, the first online group cruise planning resource, allows event planners to capitalize on the value of all inclusive cruise meeting and incentives. Cruising can slash the expense of land based venues by 25-40%, allowing planners to persevere with today's shrinking budgets. Why not make your next corporate incentive a meeting at sea? Take a look at Seasite.com today!

The Caribbean is generally one of the first places that come to mind when people think of cruising and most folks who have been on cruises have cruised the Caribbean at least once. With so much emphasis placed on cruising the Caribbean, does this take away from its appeal as an incentive travel or corporate travel destination?

Some well-traveled cruisers may not find a Caribbean cruise event particularly motivating, but the ongoing popularity of the exotic beaches, intriguing cultures, fantastic weather and crystal clear waters that the Caribbean offers continues to make this region one of the most visited areas in the world year after year. With the sheer number of travelers partaking in Caribbean cruises and resort vacations, it is clear that the distinct allure of the Caribbean has not waned over the years. This continues to be one of the most popular cruise destinations for both business and leisure travel, and also continues to be a region that offers great deals for corporate travel planners.

If your company has offered an incentive cruise to the Caribbean as your incentive travel package for the last 20 years, then perhaps your staff would appreciate seeing another option available and might find a change to be more motivating. However, aside from this particular situation, cruising to the Caribbean has maintained its popularity over the decades for a reason. Sure, it is one of the most common cruise destinations, but that is simply more evidence of its allure.

When it comes to corporate group cruise planning, the Caribbean is and always will be a popular option that will likely never lose its appeal.

If you plan your next business meeting or conference anywhere in Fiji, you can be fairly certain that it will be a very well-attended event. There is something about the South Pacific in general, and the islands of Fiji in particular, that holds a distinctive allure for travelers of any sort. This makes Fiji an ideal option for incentive travel, an international business meeting, an executive retreat or a convention. When you select Fiji as a corporate travel destination, your attendees will obviously enjoy resort living, pristine beaches and excellent local dishes, but also incorporating more traditional components into your corporate travel plans will make the trip much more meaningful for your participants.

Fiji has a rich history and culture, including traditional ceremonies, dances and arts, many of which are still practiced today either in welcoming guests or in everyday Fijian life. You can add a whole new dimension to your corporate event in Fiji by arranging to include some of these traditions. For example, you may want to consider opening your event with a meke, which is a traditional dance most often performed as part of celebrations, social events and religious ceremonies. Fijian women perform fan dances, while men use spear and clubs, and each movement tells the story of Fijian folklore.

Opening your event with a meke will make your event more memorable and will set the stage for a fantastic meeting or conference that pays respect to Fijian heritage.

If you are in search of a family-friendly destination for customer appreciation, employee appreciation or incentive travel, you may want to consider sunny Newport Beach in Southern California. This seaside town has attractions that appeal to all ages and great weather throughout the year, making it an ideal location for a family vacation. While sunbathing, swimming or surfing at the beach are some of the most popular – and most obvious – attractions, other outdoor activities include boating, jet skiing, rollerblading and bicycling, and the equipment for each can be easily rented right on or near the beach.

Once families have had enough of lounging on the sand and building sand castles, they can head to the popular Toy Boat Toy Boat Toy Boat toy store on East Coast Highway, where they will find games, activities and toys for kids of all ages. If parents prefer a little adult time to play golf or shop, teens can be dropped off at the Balboa Fun Zone, or the entire family can spend the day there enjoying a variety of activities, games, restaurants and beaches.

There are also plenty of family-friendly dining options for quick snacks or full meals, as well as coffee shops, snack bars and cafés within easy walking distance of hotels and the beach.

Corporate travel planners are well-versed in working with budgets and are pros at finding exceptional deals and negotiating their way into cost savings for their events. Now more than ever, saving money wherever possible is critically important, particularly as many small businesses and large corporations are facing shrinking budgets and closer public scrutiny. It can be a bit of a challenge to cut costs without cutting quality, but with a little time and effort it is completely doable.

One of the keys to successfully cutting costs without losing quality is properly determining which aspects of your event can weather some cutbacks without being significantly affected. Once you have determined which components can handle some cutbacks, the trick is to find ways to cut these costs that will not be noticeable to your attendees.

For example, you might opt for a lunch event, instead of a dinner event, or you might go with an off-brand digital camera, rather than a name brand camera for an incentive travel pillow gift. You can also opt for business class for flights, or bypass flying entirely and opt for train travel, or a bus charter if the event is close to home. Some planners have also found having servers pass appetizers, rather than having a buffet-style set up, provides significant savings, as folks tend to eat less when they are served in this manner.

The island of Aruba is part of the Dutch Antilles located in the Caribbean just north of Venezuela. Every year, tourists are drawn to its sun-soaked shores to enjoy relaxing beachside vacations filled with water sports, long walks on sandy beaches, sipping cocktails under a beach umbrella and SCUBA diving in the crystal clear waters of the nearby coral reef off of De Palm Island. A cruise terminal and international airport are located on the island, allowing corporate travel planners and event planners to include this Caribbean paradise as part of a group cruise, or as a single corporate travel destination. The Reina Beatrix Airport (AUA) is just 2.5 miles from Oranjestad, which is also the home to the main cruise port, which is located just a short five-minute walk from the city center.

The main cities on the island are San Nicolas and Oranjestad, each of which offers a variety of meeting and event venues, with two of the most popular resort hotels on the island being the Aruba Gold Coast and the Occidental Grand Aruba. Popular attractions and activities available on the island include water sports, horseback riding, biking, bird watching at the Bubali Bird Sanctuary, the weekly Bonbini Festival at the Aruba Historical Museum and an 18-hole championship golf course.

Whether you are planning a group cruise, incentive travel package or corporate event, you simply cannot go wrong with Aruba.

Spain is a popular choice for both leisure and business travel, largely due to the warm climate, sun-soaked beaches, rich history, vibrant culture and world-class meeting facilities. It is also extremely popular with those in search of a golf vacation in Europe, making it an ideal destination for corporate travel planners planning incentive travel, corporate events or meetings for a group of participants that happens to have a good number of golf enthusiasts. Many of the upscale golf resorts located in Spain also offer amenities and attractions that will appeal to non-golfers, including exceptional dining, entertainment, shopping, sites of historical or cultural importance, and luxury spa facilities.

Within Spain, planners will find several golf vacation hotspots and well-known courses. Some examples include Madrid, which is home to the Real Club de la Puerta de Hierro, the Real Sociedad Hipica Espanola and the Club de Campo Villa; Alicante, which is home to Alenda Golf, Alicante Golf and Golf & Spa Bonalba; and Valencia, where visitors can enjoy a round of golf at Campo de Golf El Saler. There is also a variety of options available in Barcelona, Malaga and Mallorca, allowing for plenty of choices when selecting a destination that will meet your event needs and be of interest to your participating golfers.

Travel gifts are a great way to enhance your corporate travel participants’ experience and make your event or incentive travel package more memorable. This will, of course, reflect well on you and will help your participants remember you as a great, thoughtful corporate travel planner. Whether your budget is limited or allows you to spend somewhat freely, there are many gift options in a variety of price ranges that are sure to meet your needs.

Here are just a few ideas for affordable travel gifts that can be easily incorporated into your corporate travel planning:

• Personalized carry-on luggage
• Personalized garment bags
• Toiletry bags
• Personal care kits
• Digital cameras
• Sunglasses
• Guidebooks relevant to the destination
• Travel wallets
• Passport and document holders
• Beach towels
• Beach bags
• In-flight entertainment kits with magazines, crossword puzzle books and snacks
• Discount cards for public transportation and area attractions
• Tickets to local attractions

It is a common practice to give pillow gifts to participants of certain types of corporate travel; therefore, it is often expected that some sort of gift will be distributed. If you are a corporate travel planner that regularly includes gifts, you can use the above list for new ideas to switch things up a bit. This is particularly important if you have many repeat travel participants.

Ensuring that your meeting or event attendees, or incentive travel winners, have a satisfying, memorable experience during the corporate travel you have planned for them, involves much more than scheduling venues, renting equipment, booking a block of rooms and negotiating prices for airline tickets. Of course, you already know that your job entails much more than that, but many planners sometimes leave out a few details that can make all the difference when it comes to the experience your participants have.

This is particularly true if you are planning corporate travel for folks who may not travel frequently for business or in their personal lives, or who have not previously traveled to this destination. For example, turning them loose without any information about the area might be seen as okay by some, but planners who want to make sure every detail is taken care of and who want to be known for going above and beyond to meet their participants’ needs would never consider doing that. Gathering and distributing information about the destination does not have to take a lot of time and effort, and is sure to be seen as an appealing extra that your attendees will appreciate.

A simple list of attractions, eateries, transportation options and other types of useful information is sure to be greatly appreciated, and it will only take you a short time to find all of this information online.

It is one thing to know your way around your favorite venues that happen to be on land, but corporate travel planners who incorporate cruises into their corporate meeting and event planning, incentive travel planning or other corporate travel endeavors should pick up a bit of shipboard lingo to show that you know your stuff, or at least to help you fake it ‘til you make it while planning your onboard events.

Here are a few of the terms that it is helpful to know when onboard:

Aft – toward or at the rear of the vessel
Amidships – toward or at the middle of the vessel
Below – Beneath the main deck
Bow – the front of the vessel
Bridge – the navigational control center of a ship
Companionway – interior staircase
Free Port – a port with no customs or duty
Galley – ship kitchen
Gangway – ramp or stairway between the ship and dock
Helm – steering apparatus
Port – the left side of the ship when facing the bow
Starboard – the right side of the ship when facing the bow
Tender – a small vessel for passenger transportation when at anchor

Of course, these are just a few examples of the many terms used on ships, but this should be enough to get you started on the road to immediately understanding what the cruise ship staff says when discussing the location of your attendees’ rooms or meeting rooms, or where they will meet you to show you around your event venue.

Seasite.com is designed for meeting and event planners who want more control in the cruise sourcing and planning process. It’s the fastest and easiest way for group organizers to master the world of cruising, building on all that’s been learned by Landry & Kling, who are credited with being the first distribution channel between the cruise industry and corporate America. Now, 28 years since their startup, they have responded to changing times by creating Seasite.com, with innovative cruise sourcing tools that enable meeting planners and other travel intermediaries to be more pro-active and confident in booking group cruises. Seasite group pricing is the same as booking direct, with the advantage of impartial Cruise Advisors to assist as needed.