Trend continues for extending UK business trips

A survey, commissioned by Southport Conferences, has revealed that extending business visits within the UK for leisure continues to remain popular with business travellers, with individuals being particularly enticed by discounts and added value.

North West convention bureau conducted the survey in partnership with communications agency Davies Tanner. It provides a snapshot into the habits of business travellers and their desire for extending business trips in the UK. A total of 120 respondents took part in the research.

Around 73 per cent of respondents indicated that they would choose to stay on in a destination following a business trip, with 61 per cent of them opting to extend for between one and two days. 

72 per cent of people surveyed said they would be persuaded by discounts and an additional 52 per cent by added value, when considering what factors might influence their decision to extend a trip. Only 14 per cent of respondents said they would be willing to earn this added value via a loyalty scheme. The least popular request was for a central booking service at 13 per cent.

The survey found that eating out was the most popular activity to take part in during a break (72 per cent) followed by concerts, watching sports, shopping and visiting museums. The least popular response was corporate social responsibility related activities with only 2.5 per cent of people wanting to use their time for the good of others during a leisure break.

With 48 per cent, coastal destinations were found to be the most popular choice when extending a business trip, beating city breaks at 26 per cent and rural locations at five per cent. 

Steve Christian, Principal Conferencing Marketing Officer at Sefton Council, commented on the findings: "It is interesting to see the results of this research, which we felt were very positive and certainly showed an interest in staying on in destinations. Naturally it was great for us to see a lean towards coastal breaks too. Next steps for the convention bureau are to assess these results in greater depth and decide how best we can use this information to provide packages and discounts to encourage delegates to stay on in Southport after their meetings and conferences.”

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