„Business trips can be an adventure trip.“
Alexa Haenisch, Head of Corporate Travel at Lufthansa City Center Reisebüropartner GmbH
Whether a culinary tour through Tel Aviv, a desert trip near Marrakech or a cultural excursion in the Emirates – since spring 2019, Lufthansa City Center (LCC) has been publishing exclusive reports on the Bleisure Traveller in its newsletter. In this way, LCC intends to address Bleisure customers more intensively and make intensive use of the connections between its own business and leisure fields internationally.
This chain with its owner-managed travel agencies has more than 570 offices around the world.We spoke to Alexa Haenisch, Divisional Manager Corporate Travel, about experienceable bleisure tips, CO2-friendly business trips and her own bleisure trip to Thailand.
Ms Haenisch, what is the relevance of bleisure at LCC?
Bleisure Travel as a combination of business and leisure travel is very important to us, as the world of living and working is changing more and more. We are one of the few providers in this sector who have been using our travel expertise and inspiration for many years to combine business and leisure travel with professional service, in the sense of “everything from one source”.
What further potential do you see in supply and demand for bleisure travel?
The trend is rising. More flexible working time models and more flexible business trips engender higher motivation among employees and higher identification with the company. It is a win-win situation for both sides.
Studies confirm that almost three quarters of business travellers have already extended a trip for private stays (DRV study Chefsache Business Travel 2019). Around half of those surveyed have added one or more overnight stays, and 80 percent of frequent travelers in particular, have extended their business trip for private purposes.
You have been cooperating with Bleisure Traveller for several months now, mainly in the form of their own Bleisure newsletter. Why?
As a global specialist for corporate and leisure travel, LCC is currently focusing more strongly on bleisure business in its marketing and has therefore entered into a cooperation with the online magazine Bleisure Traveller. Through exciting destination reports and inspiring Bleisure tips, we support our customers in planning their Bleisure trips and provide them with valuable recommendations and unusual ideas.
In addition, we provide information about the bleisure trend and point out implementation possibilities within companies. For us, this is an ideal way to reach Bleisure customers as a new target group. The information comes first-hand directly from the Bleisure experts, who travel to the destinations personally and conduct professional research on site. Bleisure tips can thus be experienced.
Extending your business trip privately – that is especially important for Millenials
a big issue. How do you respond to them with your offers?
Especially for Millenials, the topic of the professional world is considered more innovative. Nowadays, salary is no longer the decisive factor. There are other values in the foreground, including more flexible working hours. It is no longer possible to talk about work-life balance alone. Work and private life are becoming increasingly blurred.
Thanks to their extensive travel expertise, our franchise partners are ideally positioned to meet the needs of any target group. Business trips can thus become an experience trip.
How can your customers take advantage of bleisure travel with a view to sustainabilityand CSR topics and plan and undertake them?
For ten years now, we have been supporting companies with CO2 accounting and carbon offsetting to make their business trips as environmentally friendly and climate-neutral as possible.LCC handles the entire process for corporate clients, from calculating CO2 emissions to the donation receipt. In doing so, we rely on the strict standards of the German Travel Management Association (VDR), in that CO2 emissions can be precisely balanced, compared and classified. The method covers not only flights, but also cars, trains, hotels and events.
LCC takes over this reporting for companies on request. Once the footprint of a business trip has been determined, the offsetting takes place. The offset amounts are invested in carbon offset projects, in which we work together with Atmosfair and Myclimate. Through our partners, our clients can also offset the private part of their trip if they wish. We help them to reduce CO2 emissions on the road as early as the travel planning stage, for example by choosing the right mode of transport or booking sustainably certified accommodation.
Where did your last Bleisure trip take you?
My last personal Bleisure trip was to Thailand as an extension of a global meeting. I spent two days relaxing and enjoying the country’s unique landscape and exotic culture. The Thai massages directly on the beach under the open sky and with the sound of the sea are especially recommended. You can scarcely switch off better.
Further information under LCC.de and LCC-Businesstravel.de
Sylvie Konzack …
conducted the interview and finds it exciting how the travel industry is becoming more and more professional with the combination of business and private travel. As a result, Bleisure travel is also becoming more and more a matter of course for employers.
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Fotos: LCC, © iStock.com/Chalabala
