Bleisure: 41+ Statistics, Facts, and Trends [2023]

Are you curious about the state of bleisure? Look no further.

This page is chock full of fresh, curated, and vetted bleisure statistics and facts. Plus, we’ve categorized all the data to help you quickly fish out the information you need.

Let’s make a start:

Top 5 Bleisure Stats to Know in 2023

1. Prospects: every six in 10 US workers plan to add leisure time to their next business trip.
2. Popularity: 80% of business travelers have engaged in bleisure in recent years.
3. Growth: 40% of travel managers reported a significant spike in interest in bleisure trips in August 2022—10% more than in February.
4. Inflation impact: in 2022, the share of travelers who planned to take a bleisure trip fell by ~10% compared to 2021.
5. Key reason to mix business with pleasure: 46% of bleisure travelers do it because it makes business trips more fun.

General Bleisure Statistics, Facts, and Trends

Bleisure can take different forms:

• Leisure activities during a business trip (61%), after one (41%), or a full-on vacation around a business trip (33%).

But bleisure is a rather vague term. Here’s what business travelers think qualifies as bleisure:

Guess who likes to take bleisure trips the most? 

• Managers are nearly twice as likely as regular employees to blend leisure with business: 50% vs. 28%.

• Managers are also more likely to book a vacation around a business trip than non-managers: 40% vs. 27%.
• The most desired bleisure amenities include free internet, fast Wi-Fi, and a location close to work.
• The least desired bleisure amenities are high-quality toiletries and a coffee machine.

Bleisure Popularity and Trip Duration

Let’s start with the big question: how many people engage in bleisure travel?

• Every eight in 10 business travelers engaged in some form of bleisure in 2020.
• 60% of US workers plan to add leisure time to their next business trip.

• Around half of all business travelers say they are likely or highly likely to mix business with pleasure in the future. 
• As of 2022, the share of workers who planned to take a bleisure trip was nearly identical to business-only travelers: ~40%. 

• Nearly 30% of travel managers have noticed a spike of interest in bleisure trips in Q1 2022.
• In Q4 2022, 41% of travel managers had more employees ask about bleisure.

How long do bleisure trips last?

The Benefits of Bleisure

• 54% of business travelers consider bleisure the best way to maintain a work-life balance.

• In turn, 51% of companies claim they treat bleisure as a means to keep a healthy work-life balance.

Here’s why bleisure can help keep the morale up:

How does bleisure compare to regular travel? 

• Bleisure trips are said to contribute to one’s career growth more than regular travel: 86% vs. 69%. 
• People who engage in bleisure travel feel more satisfied with their quality of life on the road compared to regular travelers (91% vs. 79%).
• Bleisure tourists feel more refreshed upon return than regular business travelers: 54% vs. 35%.

Bleisure can also enhance healthy life habits:

• Bleisure travelers report they are more likely to follow a healthy diet while away than regular travelers (41% vs. 32%).
• Bleisure can motivate people to exercise more than traditional business trips: 53% vs. 41%.

But there are also bleisure benefits companies enjoy:

• 79% of travelers say they are more likely to take a business trip if they can stay longer for leisure.
• Bleisure practitioners are more than twice as likely to search for a job that involves traveling compared to regular travelers (39% vs. 15%).

And since 65% of bleisure travelers think bringing their loved ones along is OK, it’s only natural that:

• 57% admit they look for work trips to places their partners would love to visit.

Looking for passport photos? Discover more information:

• Walmart Passport Photo
• Passport Photos at Walgreens
• CVS Passport Photo

Bleisure Costs

Who pays for all the leisure during a business trip?

The Global Business Travel Association made a poll on bleisure reimbursement. Here’s what they found:

• Only 4% of respondents say their company reimburses leisure costs during a business trip.
• 78% of respondents report their company reimburses only the business part of the trip, and the employee fully covers the leisure aspect of it.

• 10% state their company doesn’t refund the cost of travel if the employee extends the business trip for leisure activities.

Morning Consult’s report provides even more insights:

Given some employers’ unwillingness to reimburse bleisure costs and today’s growing prices, it should come as no surprise that: 

• Between February and August 2022, the share of travelers who planned to take a blended trip fell by ~10%.

Bleisure Demographics

So here’s a good ol’ comparison between generations:

• Millennials (86%) are more likely to take a bleisure trip than Boomers (73%).
• Millennials can focus on work better than Baby Boomers on a bleisure trip: 67% vs. 56%. 
• As a result, more Millennials return to work feeling more refreshed after a bleisure trip than Boomers (55% vs. 42%).

And genders:

• Male bleisure travelers are more likely to take their partner along than female travelers: 58% vs. 48%.
• Males stick to more healthy habits while on bleisure trips, compared to females, such as:

• Taking alone time (68% vs. 58%)
• Exercising (57% vs. 45%)
• Having a healthy diet (44% vs. 35%)

Here’s also a look at the differences between demographics in preferred amenities when it comes to bleisure accommodation:

Stacking It All Up

There you have it.

A comprehensive list of bleisure statistics, facts, and trends to help you understand the phenomenon better.

Are there any other bleisure stats you’d like to see? Or perhaps you’d want us to run a full study on it?

Let us know in the comments!

FAQ

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Sources

• BCD Travel, “Traveler Survey: Wellbeing”
• Crowne Plaza, “The Future of Blended Travel”
• Global Business Travel Association, “Business Travel Recovery Poll Results August 2022”
• Global Business Travel Association, “Business Travel Recovery Poll Results February 2022”
• Hilton, “Summer Travel Trends”
• Morning Brew, “The Future Of Business Travel”
• Morning Consult, “Economic Concerns Are Softening the Blended Travel Boom”
• Morning Consult, “The State of Travel & Hospitality”
• Morning Consult, “When It Comes to Travel, Blended Is the New Business”
• National Car, “State of Business Travel Survey Fact Sheet”
• Statista, “Likelihood of Mixing Business Trips with Leisure Trips According to Business Travelers Worldwide as of March 2022”
• Statista, “Preferred Work-Life Balance Support Measures of Business Travelers Worldwide as of March 2022”
• Statista, “Work-Life Balance Support Measures Offered to Business Travelers Worldwide as of March 2022”
• Visit Anaheim, “Visit Anaheim Survey Reveals Rising Trend of “Bleisure” Travel”

Adam Grucela

Adam is an SEO & Digital PR writer with a child’s curiosity about the surrounding world. His superpower to dig out juicy facts got him citations in Forbes, Social Media Today, and 90+ other news outlets. Adam enjoys snapping pictures and won the national Huawei Next Image Award.