Corporate Travel Destinations

Nearly all corporate travel destinations will have numerous museums that have permanent historical exhibits, host art exhibits or provide access to rotating cultural exhibits and events. Many cities even have a particular district that is home to several museums within walking distance of each other, such as Tacoma’s Museum District, San Diego’s Balboa Park, Cape Town’s Green Point District and Houston’s Museum District. With many options in close proximity, your attendees will have increased choices and the ability to select the exhibits that are of the most interest to them. This makes museums an easy, convenient option for adding to a list of local attractions given to attendees; however, you may also want to consider this low-cost entertainment option as part of your scheduled activities.

Museums usually offer rather affordable admission rates, making them a cost-effective option for corporate travel planners. But, savvy planners know that they can save even more by looking into group discounts or looking for free admission days that coincide with the dates of their corporate event. It is quite common for museums to offer at least one free admission day each month, with some entire districts offering free admission to all of the museums on a particular day. If this day happens to fall during your planned event, this is a great opportunity to offer an educational, enticing activity that will appeal to your attendees and help you stay within budget.

Historic walking tours are available in most destinations and can be a fun, educational way to spend an afternoon or personal day during a corporate event. If the weather is nice, this is a great way to spend time outdoors participating in a leisurely activity that can be enjoyed at one’s own pace. Depending on the city and the type of tour you select, historic tours may or not be appropriate for some attendees with disabilities, so be sure to look into this before adding it the itinerary, or if you are simply listing it as an optional self-guided activity, you should include a note about accessibility.

If your corporate travel destination is in a city with a rich history and interesting architecture, guided or self-guided walking tours are particularly enticing; however, even newer cities often have maps available for visitors pointing the way to important monuments, interesting sights or other points of interest.

Guided tours are sometimes more enjoyable, due to the information and stories shared during the experience, and are usually rather affordable, making this an easy option to add to your travel planning. If guided tours are not available in your destination, or if you are looking for ways to save even more, check the website of the area’s visitor’s center or tourism board to see if there are self-guided walking tour maps that you can download, print and distribute to attendees.

When selecting your next corporate travel destination, there will be many unique, beautiful locations tempting you with their distinct offerings. Whether you are planning incentive travel packages or seeking out a location for a corporate meeting, Guatemala should be high on your list of possibilities. To be convinced that this is the right option for your company, all you need to do is simply imagine the luxury and comfort of arriving in the beautiful, bountiful country of Guatemala after a journey on a well-appointed cruise ship equipped with everything your company needs for both work and play during travel.

Guatemala is accessible by both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans and has well-established commercial ports to accommodate the arrival of your guests. On the Atlantic Coast, ships are accommodated in the Santo Tomas de Castilla Port, which is located in Amatique Bay, while ships arriving on the Pacific Coast are welcomed at the Puerto Quetzal.

Once ashore, there is no end to the possibilities for exciting shore excursions, unique shopping experiences, world-class golf and visiting some of the many important historical sites that have survived to tell the tale of Guatemala’s rich history. World-famous coffee plantations, lush rainforests, Mayan monuments, smoking volcanoes, cultural festivals, markets filled with handmade crafts and breathtaking natural beauty are all waiting to be explored by visitors to this culturally-rich, unique country.

The cruise meeting planner at Seasite.com offers incentive planners a one-stop resource for sourcing incentive cruise events, no matter what destination your group desires.

 Nearly endless sunshine, perfect year-round weather and 70 miles of beaches are only a few of the reasons San Diego, California should be on your list of destination options for corporate meetings and incentive travel. This Southern California town is just north of the Mexican border and perfectly blends its historic Mexican and Spanish influences with upscale living and numerous popular tourist attractions.

Visitors can opt for a day at SeaWorld or the world-famous San Diego Zoo, an afternoon of visiting museums and taking in the breathtaking architecture in Balboa Park, dining on authentic Mexican cuisine in Old Town or experiencing the lively nightlife of the Gaslamp Quarter. Of course, a day at the beach is always in order, and travelers can choose between the pristine, white sands of Coronado, or the laidback atmosphere at Ocean Beach.

Aside from these popular attractions that will ensure your attendees have a fabulous time when not in meetings or trainings, San Diego also offers a topnotch convention center and numerous downtown and area hotels with meeting facilities. Both the airport and train station are within close proximity to downtown, allowing for convenient transportation options, and the San Diego Convention Center is within walking distance to downtown, the Gaslamp Quarter and some of San Diego’s finest hotels.

Cartagena, Colombia was established in 1533 and was one of the richest ports in the New World during its heyday. Ideally situated on Colombia’s Caribbean coast, Cartagena has a diverse, rich history that includes its ongoing importance as a bustling seaport, as well as times when pirates and privateers had to be held off by the construction of the still-standing walls poised to guard the Old City.

Beautiful blue-green waters and sandy beaches have long drawn travelers to this port city, which grew into a tourist mecca with trendy clubs, fashionable hotels and enticing boutiques. This beautiful city is where the world-renowned author Gabriel Garcia Marquez wrote Love in the Time of Cholera and where socialites and celebrities from around the world choose to vacation.

Of course, there was a dark period for Cartagena where tourism dropped off significantly and we began to hear stories of powerful drug cartels and a general unsavory element throughout the city. During this time, corporate meeting planners began to avoid Cartagena as a possible destination, both for safety issues and to avoid marring the image of their client companies. However, now that these days have past, Cartagena’s charm is once again drawing in travelers from around the world, where they find breathtaking emeralds, a vibrant nightlife, beautiful handmade crafts and a plethora of cultural attractions.

Colombia is growing in popularity, but remains an affordable option for companies in search of an enticing locale for their next meeting location.

Meeting and incentive travel planners have many destinations from which to choose for hosting your event; however, there are some that stand out among the options as ideal choices for a variety of reasons. For example, New Orleans is a hotspot for travel these days, particularly among those who understand the importance of tourism dollars to the revitalization of the city as it continues to recover from Hurricane Katrina.

New Orleans has managed to retain and regain much of its charm, and is home to historical and cultural attractions that appeal to travelers in every age group. Historic hotels, museums, antebellum homes and jazz clubs are plentiful, as are exceptional dining and entertainment options. With a business community that is dedicated to restoring New Orleans to its former glory, enticing meeting and incentive packages are readily available. This allows companies to enjoy an exciting destination, while also showing their support for this resilient community and its renaissance.

New Orleans attractions include the Audubon Zoo, the Aquarium of the Americas, Mardi Gras World, swamp tours and the World War II Museum. There are also many free, family-friendly attractions available, such as walking tours of the French Quarter, dedicated evenings for free admission to galleries in the Arts District and enjoying artists’ works and free shows in Jackson Square.

Support the revival of New Orleans and offer attendees an exciting travel destination by incorporating New Orleans into your meeting and incentive planning.

Incentive travel planners who work with corporate groups are faced with clients who just don’t have a large budget to spend, these days. Smaller businesses are trying to cut out luxuries with the hope that no one will say anything, and larger companies–especially those who accepted bailout money–are trying to regain an image of competence and frugality. Incentive travel is a scary proposition for them both.

Enter the incentive cruise. These are often much more affordable choices for people who love to travel in general, and could be your answer to the problem of affordable incentive travel. Why? Because cruises are relaxing, cruise lines have expanded their ports of call, and a cruise is typically all inclusive.  A cruise can save you as much as 40% compared to a land based hotel venue because almost everything is included. Meals, meeting rooms, A/V, coffee breaks, activities, entertainment and even room service are part of the all-inclusive cruise fare. You spend nothing more for linens, florals, lighting, labor or state/city taxes, which saves your client money and gives you time to devote to your business agenda and attendees.

You may also save yourself some headaches other than financial ones. If you have a small incentive travel group that is from a foreign culture, you might consider a cruise that will appeal to that culture. For instance, let’s pretend Irish music and culture has become all the rage in Eastern Europe. You have been hired to find a cruise for a group of Eastern European business people. Your logical choice will include Ireland, and expand to the other British Isles if there is time just for a bonus.

Cruises can, indeed, be a port in this financial storm the world is in right now. Next time you are trying to find an affordable incentive travel program, take a few minutes and check the cruise lines.  The best place to start is Seasite.com – The Online Cruise Meeting Marketplace

Seasite.com makes it easy to plan an all inclusive incentive cruise.

• One Site – All Cruise Brands
• Puts Cruise Sourcing on Par with Hotel Site Selection
• E-RFP Streamlines the Entire Process
• 24/7 Access to Global Cruise Opportunities for Groups
• Pricing is the Same as Buying Direct
• Impartial and Objective

If you are planning a business incentive travel package, make it easy for yourself and delight your attendees when you go to Seasite.com and start sourcing an incentive cruise package.