In 2023, incentive travel programmes are expected to have broader reach and deeper impact. Photo Credit: Adobe Stock/Jankovoy
Exclusive, more experiential and authentic: these are just three markers incentive travel needs to meet in 2023, as such programmes will be expected to have broader reach and deeper impact.
This is according to the newly-released IRF 2023 Trends Report, produced by the Incentive Research Foundation. Its findings show that given one of the most challenging labour markets in history, incentives are an increasingly critical business strategy to help organisations attract, retain, and build culture across in-office and remote workers, as well as strengthen channel partnerships.
Other insights point to downtime being the new ‘hot activity’, with incentive travel participants wanting more choices in their schedules, time between programmes, and blocks of time to recharge or catch up with work.
Suppliers have also noted that incentive clients now expect services to be delivered at pre-Covid levels, particularly where costs are higher than pre-pandemic. Conversely, while the demand for incentive travel is strong for 2023, the report found that economic and staffing issues are often forcing incentive programme owners to scale back.
Sustainability concerns are also on the rise, with almost 80% of respondents to an IRF survey reporting at least some pressure from clients to provide more sustainable options in meetings, events, incentive travel venues, and transport. Hotels and DMCs are often expected to be at the forefront of implementing sustainability practices. The IRF’s Social Responsibility & Sustainability study revealed that sustainable practices are becoming more important to clients and more prevalent in RFPs.
Commenting on the findings, IRF president Stephanie Harris said: “As we enter 2023, incentive, recognition, and reward programs will be expected to have broader reach and deeper impact. Programme owners are charged with motivating a changing workforce while dealing with major disruptions, including inflation, uncertainty, ongoing supply chain issues, and limited inventory.”