Ranked: the most popular destinations for North American Incentive Travel

The US-based Incentive Research Foundation (IRF) surveyed in March 2024 to determine what incentive travel programme participants prefer: where they like to travel to, what they wish for in an incentive trip, how long they’d like to stay, and more. IRF surveyed 400 respondents, all of whom work full-time in sales roles within the United States. All participants were between the ages of 23 and 65 years and had been eligible for an Incentive travel award within the past three years. Seventy-two percent of participants reported they had won an incentive travel award in that time. The report elucidates many aspects of Incentive Travel and highlights it is still of great appeal to attendees, as well as a source of workplace motivation. MOST POPULAR DESTINATIONS FOR INCENTIVE TRAVEL IN NORTH AMERICAThe study created a ‘Preference Index Rating’ for destinations by combining respondents' top five rankings of destinations with different weightings (i.e. a respondent’s first choice would be given a higher numerical value than their second, third, etc). The question asked was what destination in North America was most desirable as an incentive destination. Two separate lists were used for scoring, made up of destinations categorized either within North America or as international. A higher index means a greater preference as an incentive award trip destination (an index of 100 would indicate that destination was a top-three preference across all 400 respondents). Hawaii was a stand-out destination for respondents - the highest-ranking destination for four consecutive years now. 35.5% of participants had already visited on an incentive trip. Of those who have already visited Hawaii, 94% had between a ‘great deal’ or ‘some’ interest in returning for a leisure visit, while 95% would recommend Hawaii as an incentive travel destination. In second and third place respectively were Las Vegas and Florida. North American Destination Preferences: Hawaii (71)Las Vegas (51)Florida (50)Alaska (47)California (46)New York (45)Caribbean (including Puerto Rico) (39)Chicago (35)Arizona (27)Canada (26) Mexico (21)WHERE PARTICIPANTS ARE BEING SENTIRF also looked at event booking data. Mexico and the Caribbean are still the most popular North American incentive destinations, with nine out of the top ten booking destinations in those regions. While the Preference Index Rating shows Hawaii as the top destination for attendees, it isn’t the top destination booked by Incentive Planners, illustrating a common gap between attendee preference, and the trade-offs planners face designing and operating programs with real-world considerations. This gap is particularly interesting when you consider respondents ranked Mexico lowest of their preferred North American destinations - though as it is considerably less expensive than Hawaii in many regards it is easy to see why it is a go-to choice for planners. MOST POPULAR DESTINATIONS INTERNATIONALLY As mentioned, the 400 respondents were all US residents. In addition to surveying them on their preferences for North American incentive destinations, the IRF also asked about their preferred international destinations. Western Europe topped the list of preferred international destinations: Germany, France, Italy, as in 2023, with a preference index of 72. Central America (e.g. Costa Rice, Panama) (56) and the Middle East (e.g. Dubai, Egypt) (48) ranked second and third respectively as international destinations for incentive award travel. INTERNATIONAL INCENTIVE DESTINATION PREFERENCES 1. Western Europe (Germany, France, Italy etc) 722. Central America (Costa Rica, Panama etc) 563. Middle East (Dubai, Egypt etc) 464. Oceania (Polynesia, Micronesia etc) 445. South Asia (India, Maldives etc) 406. South America (Chile, Brazil etc) 377. North Africa (Morocco, Tunisia etc) 328. 'Emerging' Europe (Hungary, Romania etc) 31KEY TAKEAWAYSIn summarising their findings from the survey, IRF noted the following trends: Group incentive travel continues to be an excellent motivator for sales staff, particularly among the Gen Z and Millenial age group - post the issues of the pandemic, then, we can conclude incentive travel programmes are still relevant. Participants want luxury accommodations and unique experiences for their trips, ideally with a plus one, and with plenty of free time. They’re also keen on the option to lengthen their stay either before or after the structured event. Sunshine and beach destinations are highly desirable to respondents, who are keen for locales that provide the opportunity to relax. Respondents wish their trip to be 4 - 6 days long if they are remaining in North America, or ideally, 7 days if they are heading to an international destination. That said, planners usually book trips shorter than these preferred lengths, usually for budgetary or logistical reasons.Nearly six out of ten recent winners extended their trips. Cruises are regaining popularity as an incentive travel event following pandemic-related declines. Three-quarters of respondents said cruises would be desirable regardless of destination. Survey results suggest interest in a broad range of destinations, in contrast to booking data, which indicates a critical mass of programs focusing on Mexico and the Caribbean for destinations. Full report courtesy of IRF: theirf.org/research_post/2024-attendee-preferences-for-incentive-travel/

Ranked: the most popular destinations for North American Incentive Travel

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