However, they also report concerns around rising costs, attracting talent to the industry and security considerations.
The Incentive Travel Index is a joint initiative of the Incentive Research Foundation (IRF) and the Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE) and is conducted in partnership with Oxford Economics.
This annual study reports on destination preferences, program inclusions, budgeting, and perceptions of the strategic importance of incentive travel.
This year's report also provides an analysis of topical issues such as technology, artificial intelligence, climate issues and sustainability.
“The strategic importance of incentive travel is reinforced by key workplace trends,” said Stephanie Harris, president of IRF. “Retaining talented employees and competitive advantages in recruiting are increasingly important factors, as are more recent trends such as new generations of raters and leaders and a more dispersed workforce.”
“Incentive travel buyers are increasingly looking for something new, with more than 70% of respondents indicating they are looking at destinations they have not used before,” said SITE CEO Annette Gregg. “Resorts, both all-inclusive and otherwise, have increased in popularity, and use of destinations within shorter distances of participants’ origin is also expected to increase.”
ITI 24 launched at IMEX America to a packed room of corporate event professionals. The launch was co-moderated by Stephanie Harris of IRF and Pádraic Gilligan of SITE with expert commentary from Maggie Worthington (Hilton), Jennifer Attersall (Destination Canada) and Justin Myers (Bishop-McCann).