Get used to the word "bleisure". It may sound like slang that grates on language purists, but the portmanteau of business and leisure describes a travel trend that is music to Singapore hoteliers' ears.
Bleisure visitors - business travellers who come here with their spouses and make it both a work and leisure trip - helped buoy Singapore's hotel industry in 2023 and are set to continue doing so into 2024.
"Before, the business person travelled alone. But now, after Covid-19, a businesswoman might bring her husband along, add two to three days and it becomes a leisure trip. We see this trend picking up," said Mr William Haandrikman, managing director of Fairmont Singapore and Swissotel The Stamford.
Ms Cinn Tan, chief commercial and marketing officer of the Pan Pacific Hotels Group, said the bleisure trend, driven as well by professionals taking advantage of the remote work and hybrid work models, contributed to the increasing popularity of longer trips.
Ms Angela HanLee, a senior research analyst covering Asia-Pacific gaming and hospitality at Bloomberg Intelligence, said "growth that we saw for 2023 for Singapore is mainly due to the pickup of business travellers, and leisure will pick up in 2024 but not as strong".
The two integrated resorts - Marina Bay Sands (MBS) and Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) - have benefited from bleisure. Analysts said MBS looks to be ahead of the bleisure game for now, but RWS is expected to catch up.
MBS' revenue is already back to pre-pandemic levels, noted Ms Hanlee.
"MBS, with easy access for tourists, enjoyed an influx of wealthy foreigners to the city on business trips," she said, adding that it had probably captured the business travellers earlier in 2023.
RWS' recovery has been slower than MBS' in 2023, but Ms HanLee said it can cater for an increase in tourist inflows during holidays and when flight capacity increases.
This story is from the December 19, 2023 edition of The Straits Times.
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This story is from the December 19, 2023 edition of The Straits Times.
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