Incentive Travel Trends for 2025

Incentive travel schemes for hard-working teams are not a new method of compensation for businesses to adopt. Early reports of incentive travel stem from the 1920s, when companies used it to motivate their sales teams. Fast-forward to the 21st century, incentive trips are adopted by many companies to motivate not just the sales department but many departments as a compensation scheme. Through rewarding employees with unique opportunities, it can foster loyalty and appreciation, helping create a positive company ethos and an attractive work environment. It is reshaping employee engagement across the world, and organisations must consider how it can benefit their workplace.  

Corporate incentive trips in 2025 look to focus on what the people want, and the incentive research foundation has found that giving people time to ‘do their own thing’ has surfaced as an important trend over the past two years. Evidently, companies are trying to make sure incentivised travel truly feels like a reward for the employee by giving them increased autonomy over their experiences. So, what trends should be expected in 2025?

1. Personalisation and Flexibility

Granting autonomy to an employee when offering them the opportunity to travel adds to the incentivised nature of the rewarda key consideration for 2025. Giving them free time to relax, immersing in local culture and enjoying personal activities is valued greatly. A study conducted by the Incentive Research Foundation (IRF) on the ‘Most Important Drivers of Positive Incentive Trip Experiences’ found that giving employees ample time to relax was the most positive driver (81%). Therefore, consider incentive travel, as not only a business opportunity for your company to benefit, but as a one-of-a-kind experience for many team members.

How do you make an incentive trip more personalised? 

  • Customised Itineraries: Companies are transitioning from the one-size-fits all model to a highly personalised travel itinerary. Take time and learn where your team wants to travel, what type of trips they would enjoy, the activities that interest them and perhaps if they want time to themselves on the trip.  
  • Experiential Travel: There is a rise in offering experiences that go beyond traditional sightseeing. Do something more exclusive, such as a behind-the-scenes tour or a local cultural experience. These will be unforgettable moments for many people and will show your employees, clients or partners how your company shows appreciation.

Creating personalised itineraries and uncovering tailored experiences for your team can be challenging, which is why expert support is invaluable for this process; for a planning tip to encourage personalisation and ‘make a memorable experience’, click here. Working alongside an event agency provides the knowledge, support, and local insight needed to bring your vision to life. With vast industry knowledge, Black Book specialises in tailoring incentive trips to your objectives seamlessly. 

boats on river Tagus in Lisbon

2. Group Experiences and Team Building

While giving people freedom on incentive trips is a key component in making it a success in 2025, combining it with quality group time is important; it’s all about balance. Group activities and team-building exercises are great for your company’s working culture. Nonetheless, it’s about quality, not quantity. By balancing personalisation with moments to strengthen your organisation’s culture, it becomes a great use of a corporate incentive trip.  

Effective group travel incentives often involve team-oriented activities that incorporate team-building elements, such as problem-solving games and charity-based activities, to forge a more cohesive work unit. Moreover, providing a luxury experience allows groups to bond while enjoying a unique and memorable escape from everyday life. This could be in the form of a private yacht charter or an exclusive cultural dinner. Group dinners, in particular, are highly related to success, with 60% of respondents in Western Europe highlighting their importance, according to the 2024 Incentive Travel Index (ITI); the ITI surveys over 2800 travel professionals across 85 countries.  

A group of people enjoying incentive travel

3. Technology Integration and Virtual Enhancements

As technology continues to advance, incentive travel is becoming more digitally integrated. In 2025, expect to see greater use of virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) to enhance pre-trip engagement, during the experience, or post-event interaction. Artificial intelligence (AI) is also being used to improve the incentive travel experience. By tracking people’s preferences, whether it’s for a custom itinerary or hotel specification, AI can manage it all.  

How does this come to life?

  • Pre-trip Virtual Engagement: Organisations are using technology to build excitement before corporate incentive trips. This could be through virtual tours of the destination/venue or virtual team-building activities to prepare the employees.  
  • AR/VR Experiences: Experiential activities can be improved by using AR and VR. The technology allows a more immersive experience when taking a historical tour or viewing inaccessible locations. It’s a new and exciting form of experience and it will transform the incentive travel sphere.  
  • Heightened Customisation: Many incentive programmes are already adopting AI technology to improve the overall experience. AI can be used to make personalisation more refined; it takes away the stress of data collection manually and gives the opportunity for a customised experience to every person.

    Technology is reshaping the way incentive travel operates in 2025 and will continue to. With the use of technology such as AR/VR, we’re seeing how the experience is improved before and during the trip, making it a memorable moment. Additionally, data collection via AI helps improve incentive travel programmes, allowing companies to understand the success metrics and the areas of improvement.

     

    Virtual reality experience on an incentive trip

    4. Making Travel Sustainable 

    Sustainability has become an increasing priority in personal lifestyles and across many industries, and travelling with a team may seem like an unsustainable reward scheme. However, corporate incentive travel can be designed with sustainability in mind. Event agencies such as Black Book include sustainable practices into their offerings, ensuring that rewarding your team doesn’t compromise environmental responsibility. 

    What does this look like?  

    • Eco-Friendly Accommodations: While your company aims to embrace sustainability, many hotels and resorts also prioritise green practices by obtaining certifications, such as LEED or EarthCheck. These certifications demonstrate their commitment to aligning with sustainable business standards. 
    • Sustainability Alliances: Alliances within the hospitality industry have been formed to promote sustainability. Hotels, for example, must meet specific requirements to join these initiatives. One such organisation, the Sustainability Hospitality Alliance, now represents over 55,000 hotels with a combined total of 7 million rooms globally.  
    • Carbon Offset Programmes: Event agencies are working with suppliers to provide carbon offset options. Companies can mitigate the environmental impact of air travel and other carbon emissions. 

    Essentially, there will be a heightened focus on making unique travel incentives a sustainable business practice in 2025. A recent Skyscanner report supports this and found that 62% of businesses are prioritising environmental responsibility in their corporate events and incentive programmes. As corporate social responsibility (CSR) goals become broader and more focused on their public image, it suggests that an increase will continue.

     

    Summary

    Incentive corporate travel is evolving rapidly, and companies are striving to create meaningful experiences that benefit their hard-working team and the company culture. Sustainability, personalisation, technological integration and group experiences are among the key variables shaping the industry in 2025. Finding balance between these trends is important for producing a successful incentive corporate trip that is tailored to your business’ culture and employees.  

    For companies looking to reward their team with an incentive trip, preparing for these crucial moments is key. By partnering with an event agency like Black Book ensures these trends are weaved into your experience and your personal objectives are met.  

    The Black Book team is here to make your trip a reality. Contact us today, and let’s start planning your next incentive trip together! 

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