Are you looking for some inspiration for your next President's Club or sales incentive destination? Look no further than this list of the top 10 bucket list destinations around the world. These destinations offer a combination of breathtaking natural wonders, historical and cultural landmarks, and upscale amenities that will make your incentive trip unforgettable.
These are just a few of the many bucket list destinations around the world that are perfect for an executive travel incentive or sales incentive trip. Each destination offers its own unique experiences and memories, so start planning your next incentive trip today!
The incentive travel industry, also known as motivational travel, is a type of travel that is offered as a reward or incentive for achieving a specific goal or performance target. According to the 2022 Incentive Travel Index, released by the Incentive Research Foundation (IRF), the incentive travel industry is a growing and vital part of the overall travel and hospitality industry.
One of the main benefits of travel is that it can be used to motivate and engage employees, partners, and customers. Companies and organizations use incentive travel as a way to recognize and reward top performers, build stronger relationships with key stakeholders, and drive business results. For example, an organization may offer a trip to a luxury resort as a reward for meeting or exceeding sales targets. This not only recognizes the hard work of the individual or team but also serves as a motivator for others to strive for similar success.
Incentive travel also plays an important role in building and strengthening relationships between companies and their key stakeholders. This can include employees, customers, and partners. For example, a company may offer an incentive travel program for their top customers as a way to show appreciation and strengthen those relationships. Similarly, companies may use incentive travel as a way to build stronger relationships with their partners by inviting them to exclusive events or destinations.
The index also highlighted some key trends in the industry. One trend is the increasing popularity of domestic destinations, as companies and organizations look to support the recovery of their own domestic economies. This is particularly relevant in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has greatly impacted the travel industry. With more focus on domestic destinations, companies and organizations can still offer exciting and luxurious experiences for their incentive travel programs, while also supporting local economies and communities.
Another trend is the use of virtual and hybrid formats for travel. With the advent of new technologies, it has become increasingly possible to offer virtual or hybrid incentive travel experiences that are just as engaging and effective as traditional, in-person programs. This allows for more flexibility and cost-efficiency for companies, as they can reach a wider audience and eliminate the need for expensive travel and accommodation costs.
The travel industry is also becoming more sustainable, with more companies and organizations incorporating environmental and social responsibility into their incentive travel programs. This includes using eco-friendly accommodations, promoting local culture and heritage, and supporting local communities. For example, a company may choose a destination that is committed to sustainable tourism practices, or they may plan activities that allow participants to give back to the local community. By incorporating sustainability into their incentive travel programs, companies and organizations can demonstrate their commitment to these important issues, while also creating more meaningful and impactful experiences for their participants.
In conclusion, the industry is a valuable tool for companies and organizations looking to motivate and engage employees, partners, and customers, and drive business results. With more companies and organizations focusing on sustainability, domestic destinations, and virtual and hybrid formats, the industry is poised for continued growth in the coming years. It is a way to reward, motivate and engage employees, partners and customers, while also promoting and supporting sustainable tourism, local cultures, and communities.
Corporate Travel Incentives undeniably drive profit for companies who deploy them. On average, US companies see a return of more than $12 for every $1 spent on corporate travel programing.
That’s an ROI to love!
So, how do you get your employees to adopt the program you have in place? Employee engagement is crucial to getting the most out of your travel program, so let’s examine how to drive corporate travel program adoption with the people who matter most – your employees.
Consumer experience is just as important to your employees as it is to other consumers. But are your travel management interfaces as friendly as they should be?
What are they missing? Here’s what they should include to make user interface as friendly and engaging as possible:
If your corporate travel tools aren’t delivering these, they’re encouraging your employees to go “off road” to look for the experience they find most beneficial. They want flexibility, which means you need to provide access to a vast array of options.
You also need to ensure that the tools you have in place offer flexibility that doesn’t hinder user travel planning. And when they get stuck, who’s there to help? A lack of support isn’t going to win any fans.
Make your corporate travel interfaces as simple, flexible and easy to use as possible, offering your employees an experience which rivals other options. That’s what’s going to bring them (willingly) to the party.
Sure, you care about your employees but does your travel management software reflect that? If you’re not ensuring that they’re safe and comfortable while they’re out there doing your business, trust evaporates.
Trust is the element that binds people together and it’s no different in a corporate setting. You need your employees to trust that you’re there when they need you and that you’re not going to leave them hanging when they’re stuck, far from home.
Building trust into your interface is expressed by quality and professionalism in the vendors and services your travel tools are offering.
Frequent business travelers know that anything can happen out there. Changes in itineraries and schedules happen, so being there is part of maintaining a corporate travel program that your employees love and use as a matter of course.
The clearer you make your presence to employees (by your actions and flexibility in the event of sudden changes) the more confidence they’re going to have in your program and the more likely they are to adopt it.
Being there when they need you is key.
We’re an outsourced solution to your corporate travel needs, including programing and ensuring total adoption by your travelers. We’ve been in the business for more than 20 years, so we understand what employees need to stay on course and engaged.
While your staff gets the job done, we take corporate travel off their plates. Talk to us about designing the ideal corporate travel program that gets everyone on board.
The modern workplace has changed rapidly in recent years. A good paycheck and benefits are a start, but employees now want more.
They want upward mobility, certainly but they also want that mobility to reflect a career trajectory about which they’re passionate.
With the market leaning toward highly skilled employees, the cream of the crop is highly mobile. Keeping these people on your bus is therefore a matter of giving them what they want.
And part of what they want is travel.
While setting up a travel program to satisfy the itchy feet of your people is a little more complex than keeping the snack cupboard well-stocked, it renders dividends that make it all worthwhile.
Travel incentives have a proven impact on employee morale. Going on vacation is something we all look forward to, but when the vacation is provided as a reward for a job well done, or presented as a brass ring for superior results, the impact is even more beneficial.
Productivity and morale are given a boost and culture is galvanized by these factors. Happy employees benefit from a culture which meets their needs and answers their desires stick around and work hard. Employers enjoy a solid, consistent workforce and reduced turnover costs.
An employee travel program may be more complicated than addressing the snack cupboard in the break room but there are some smart ways to make it easier for your company to offer.
One of the more obvious means of making travel easier to offer your employees is by incorporating travel into their roles.
Conferences and trade shows are a great way to get your employees to destinations of interest, adding excitement and a sense of ownership. Being on the ground to represent your company is both an honor and an opportunity.
Offering your star performers paid travel packages as rewards is another way to boost morale and strengthen the culture of performance you’re building
Maybe it’s not possible to send everyone but sending top-performing staff sends the right message. That message is that people who go beyond what’s required will be rewarded.
Building travel into your corporate culture is a matter of raising its profile and actively seeking to encourage employees to travel more often, for pleasure, work and on your dime.
Does this sound expensive? Not really, when you consider the ROI represented by corporate travel incentives – it’s astronomical and encompasses better retention and performance and reduced turnover.
ITG has been getting people places for over 20 years. We’re the incentives experts, building incentive programs while taking the details off your plate.
From rewards to travel vouchers, to group incentives, ITG is your source for winning incentives that boost morale, while getting the best from your people.
If you’re ready to create a workplace staffed by happy people, you’re ready for what ITG has to offer.
Increasing Employee retention rates have never been a bigger issue than they are right now.
Companies are climbing over each other to target the top talent they need in the age of Digital Transformation. As for the top people, they’re after, they’re highly mobile, seeking the best deal in exchange for their ultra-marketable skills.
And that’s a problem for employers. How does one encourage these people to stay?
We worked recently with a client experiencing a lot of turbulence around retention. The company was expending a great deal of time and energy training staff, with a training process which took place over 3 months.
In addition, employees were expected to work on a schedule of 14 days on, with only 2 days off. Then, there was the extensive overtime. That’s a lot to ask of people. And in an employee’s market, many won’t be interested in saying “yes” to that kind of work schedule for very long.
With a turnover cost 2.5 times the employee’s yearly salary, the high turnover rate which came with the scheduling demands was costing our client a lot of money.
So, our team was called in to find a fix for the problem.
Our client knew it had to do something to retain its valued employees. Leadership had a keen understanding of the demands and stress involved, so it elected to give employees the rest and relaxation they deserved for their efforts.
ITG worked with the company to put in place an incentive program to support increased retention, awarded on a yearly basis.
After a full year of employment, employees were to receive a travel incentive, amounting to $2,000 per employee.
Our professionals designed a program that included a wide range of recommended destinations to get employee juices flowing. But employees weren’t obliged to choose them. They could go anywhere they wanted to.
The only rule involved was that the $2,000 provided was to be applied directly to the travel incentive and employees were only given the money once they’d booked their trips.
With ITG’s program in place, our client saw employees taking vacations to ski, partying in Vegas, and attending sporting events in remote cities. Some went on Caribbean cruises. Others went off to summer cabins and lakes.
With the program’s built-in flexibility, employees were given the gift of travel they might not ever have had the opportunity to enjoy. Imagine never having had a chance to travel to a dream destination, then suddenly being given one by your employer.
That’s a great way to shore up retention by building up employee loyalty.
With ITG on deck to support employees with destination service and concierge-style details for the travel and accommodations, our client’s staff was treated like royalty – an experience they’re not likely to forget.
For more than 20 years, ITG has been supporting companies like yours with incentive program design and execution, including laser-sharp logistical support.
If you’re losing employees you’d rather keep on board, let ITG tailor a solution to your needs.
Summer is the silly season. As the weather warms, you notice an interesting phenomenon around the office. People are checking out. Eyes glaze over. Gazes are trained on a distant horizon. Things slow down to a crawl. But the work is still there. So, what do you do? Employee travel rewards during the summer months are a fantastic way to keep your people engaged. Instead of staring out the window at the guy cleaning the windows across the street, they’ll be busting out their best to win the prize. Summer travel rewards can re-focus an inattentive workforce, dreaming about getting outside. Instead of glazing over, their eyes will be trained on the brass ring you’re holding out and daring them to grab.
The most effective summer travel rewards consider your employees’ fondest dreams of faraway places. But they also depend heavily on your location. If you’re in Seattle, summer often means cool temperatures and rain. That can get your employees antsy, cranky and spoiling to get out of Dodge. They’re dreaming of warm, summer sun and reclining on a beach chair. They want out of the damp. They want the moss to stop growing on their heads as they wait for the crossing light. They want to feel the heat and badly. So, your Seattle travel incentive needs to speak to those geographically specific desires.
The same goes for employees located in a sizzling summer location like Phoenix, for example. Your people are cooking. Things which shouldn’t be melting are and the listlessness of excessive heat is dragging them down into a torpor you need to pull them out of. The cooler climes of mountains and lakes are calling to your employees, as they swelter under the Phoenix sun. An Alaskan cruise may beckon, or a jaunt to temperate San Francisco. Engineering summer incentives to your local climate and offering employees the promise of relief from a summer they’re struggling with, is one sure fire way to get them re-engaged and motivated to perform.
Depending where you’re located, you’ll have a pretty good idea what’s going to help your staff re-calibrate and get back to work. It’s normal for people to drift off a little when summer comes a long. Memories of languid childhood summers stick with us all our lives. But that reality won’t butter anyone’s toast. To get them back to the land of the living, a smart travel incentive that speaks to your employees is just what the doctor ordered. And to get it done outsourced, expert help is at hand.
Incentive Travel Group has been creating exceptional incentive travel programs for companies like yours for over 20 years. We’re the outsourced solution, creating employee travel rewards during the summer months that re-connect your employees to your mission and goals. When you’re ready to explore summer travel rewards that re-ignite your team’s will to excel, ITG is who you’re looking for. Contact us.
Incentives and rewards are established strong motivational strategies for improved productivity and profitability. Aside from regular compensation, employees appreciate being rewarded substantially for their hard work, and knowing that there is something that can further validate their contribution and work further pushes them to become better. Likewise, it can bring out their competitiveness — and in business organizations where performance is everything, creating a light, the competitive atmosphere can yield a lot of benefits to the company. Over time, however, certain incentives or rewards lose their impact. First-class dining gift certificates do get old, and in addition, they are not quite appropriate for truly significant accomplishments, so it is important to re-strategize and redesign incentive programs. For important work output that needs to be acknowledged, one of the most appropriate incentive programs is group incentive travel. Why group travel? First and foremost, travel is a luxury that not a lot of people can afford, money-wise and time-wise. Presenting this as a thoughtfully designed incentive is an excellent way of not only showing appreciation for putting the organization in an advantageous position but also reminding high-performing employees that their personal well-being is something the company wants to take care of so they can continue their superior output. Travel can bring relaxation and enlightenment, so when employees come back from the trip, they will be reinvigorated and have more fruitful experiences to draw inspiration from. Secondly, a group that has impressive teamwork can benefit greatly from being placed in a situation that presents different challenges, and traveling to an unfamiliar destination together can easily bring about such challenges. Most of the time, tolerance for each other is tested and stronger relationships are formed. All these will prove to work to the advantage of the company in the future. Thirdly, group incentive travel can be provided mostly for the company’s benefit, especially if the group will be tasked to explore a new market for the business. With more people evaluating the place and likely to form different sentiments about it, a more detailed assessment can be provided to the company. And lastly, group incentive travel can serve as an inspiration to other teams in the company to work even harder together, put away differences, and simply function as a completely unified group. As mentioned earlier, travel is a luxury — a privilege for a few — and the opportunity to see a different place with all expenses covered is definitely something many want to be worthy of to enrich themselves.
