Corporate Travel Destinations

A recent survey conducted by MeetingNews found that most meeting planners expected meeting budgets to increase or stay the same over the first six months of 2010, when compared to meeting budget trends over the last six months of 2009. This optimistic outlook may be further proof that companies across the country are beginning to recover from the recent recession. The survey, which included 220 participants, found that only 19% of responding meeting planners anticipated further budget cuts or smaller meeting budgets in the first six months of 2010. Additionally, seventeen percent of respondents actually reported increased spending in the last half of 2009, showing that some companies continued to prioritize meeting spending during the economic downturn or were already beginning to enjoy financial recovery at that time.

Just over half of the survey participants (51%) expected meeting budgets to stay the same during the first half of 2010. These results support the hope that deep budget cuts are now behind us for the most part and indicate that things may start looking up for the corporate travel and business meeting industries. This is good news for meeting and travel planners who learned tips and tricks for cutting costs without losing quality during the economic downturn and will now be in an excellent position for providing exceptional planning services with increased budgets.

The South Pacific is a destination that never fails to fascinate and attract visitors looking for spectacular natural settings.  The major destinations – Cook Islands, Fiji, Tahiti and New Caledonia – each have their own allure for capturing your particular client.   Give these spots consideration when planning your next incentive trip:

The Cook Islands

With direct, non-stop flights from Los Angeles, and a good exchange rate and hotel specials, the Cook Islands are a popular destination in the South Pacific.  There is only a 3-hour time difference from the West Coast of the U.S. A beautiful escape from the  rush and everyday stresses, attendees will enjoy the natural environment, beaches, and unique culture.

Fiji

Forbes.com recently rated Fiji among the top 15 cheapest countries for American travelers.  Affordability, good exchange rate, great airfares, and hotel specials  have made Fiji an attainable destination for travelers in the current recession.  

Tahiti

The friendly Polynesian people, cultural experiences, over the water bungalows, extraordinary cuisine, and activities in a pristine environment re just a few of the factors that fill out the image of a South Seas paradise for a vacation to Tahiti.

New Caledonia

One of the best kept secrets in the South Pacific, New Caledonia has a sophisticated French atmosphere, year-round tropical climate, fine gourmet dining, and a variety of accommodations.  The capital, Noumea, a cosmopolitan city, offers an aquarium, museums, historic sites, good nightlife with 2 casinos.  At the same time, there are extensive wilderness areas within 43 Parks and Reserves ideal for eco tours.  

Give the South Pacific some consideration when planning incentives and corporate events.  You'll be glad you did.

Staying closer to home was the trend in this year's Incentive Travel Buyer's Handbook survey.  Although, domestic destinations such as Florida, California, Arizona, Hawaii, and Nevada are still popular, many planners are going the urban route with incentives to Washington, DC, Chicago, New York City, or regional destinations like North Carolina, Kentucky or Michigan.

The recession has hurt the travel industry, creating a buyer's market for many destinations.  Planners with a budget are being enticed with lower than average rates, "stimulus" packages, and individual attention that was often lacking in good times.

Global destinations did not fare as well as in previous years in the survey.  However, there are incentives to travel internationally, too, such as a stronger dollar, special group travel promotions, and the prospect of smaller crowds in popular cities such as Rome, Paris and London.  

The bottom line for incentive travel planners is to do your homework, and look for the bargains in destinations that will thrill your attendees.

There is still a lot of caution with corporate travel, even though some are seeing signs that the recession is letting up. What is likely happening is an overflow of the emotional aspects of the bailouts and subsequent regulations surrounding meetings with those companies. It would behoove everyone to remember that it is largely emotional, and logic says that canceling travel is not a good idea.

For those who disagree and think corporate travel is wasteful, let’s see if you can answer this question truthfully: would you run your company on emotion or logic? If you said logic, good for you. So the next question for you is do you want your employees to know they are valued when they are productive? Or do you want them to think that all the productive employees before them were appreciated and they are not?

If your client has always provided corporate travel, especially for incentives, and he cancels the program, he may lose more than he bargained for. If you have a client who cancelled attendance at meetings, she may be telling her people that their education really isn’t important after all, and they may wonder why it was before.

Of course there are other concerns to canceling travel, but the most important ones regard people who deserve the trip. It all depends on the message your client wants to send, and the doubt that he or she wants to cast among the workers.

Gaming town conferences have been much maligned in recent months, thanks to some misunderstandings of the value of meetings and that people sometimes have fun at them (heaven forbid!). However, it may be time to let the opinions of others go and book corporate destinations at Las Vegas anyway–and do it before the rates go up.

Wait a minute! You thought there was a recession? Well, there is, but a couple of the Las Vegas hoteliers have reported that they are seeing signs that the downtown may have bottomed out. If it’s so, you will not be seeing the same prices for rooms and conference centers that you are seeing today. Continue reading »