One of the keys to having a successful employee travel incentive program is choosing the right destination. A suitable destination is one that offers the winners memorable experiences that they can keep long after their trip. But how do you choose a suitable destination?

One good way to choose a destination for your travel incentive scheme is to account for objective evaluations of the options you are choosing from. From there, you can complement that with inputs from your personnel as well as prevailing market conditions.

Another crucial choice companies have to make is whether to choose local or international destinations. Here are a few key points to consider for each option.

Go Local

New York, Las Vegas and Hawaii remain perennial favorites as travel incentive program destinations and you rarely can go wrong with these. Although the prices associated with these locations may seem steep, there are several factors which may indicate otherwise. These include stiff competition among hotels as well as fluctuations in the influx of tourists. Choosing these locations also offers a few benefits like name recognition, wide availability of activities to choose from, and other aspects pertaining to logistics.

Of course, you can veer off the beaten path and choose other interesting locations. The key here is marketing these locations effectively as destinations that are well worth the effort of your employees. This may seem tricky, but highlighting the positives about these locations can allow your company to reap a few benefits that you cannot access with top-tier destinations.

Go Global

Paris, London, Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean are among the destinations that top the list of preferred locations for travel incentive programs.

Mexico and Canada take the top spots because of their accessibility, making it easier for companies to plan and budget for these locations.

Of course, the allure of an exotic location like the Caribbean cannot be denied. But apart from its charms, the location offers other benefits including competitive prices and topnotch services.

The popularity of European cities may be on the downward trend but you cannot easily dismiss these locations.

Making the Choice

Apart from cost and popularity, there are a few other important factors to consider in choosing a location, be it local or global. These include safety, convenience and accessibility.

After factoring these in, you can now focus on the unique qualities of each destination on your shortlist and compare these against one another.