Incentive travel, essentially the trips awarded by companies to high-performing employees or partners, is becoming very good business of late.
Judging from the report Incentive Tourism Market: Size, Trend, and Outlook 2025-2035 released by Future Market Insights, the global sector earned US$58.7 billion in 2025 and is growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.9 percent.
Experts see this as the dawn of the golden age of incentive travel, especially given how many Fortune 500 companies are replacing traditional bonuses with once in a lifetime trips for deserving individuals.
But we have to ask: who are the current power players in incentive travel and what trends could potentially alter the sector’s growth trajectory moving forward?
What you need to know
A recent report from Corporate Travel Management pointed out how buyers in the Asia Pacific region have shown the highest confidence, with activity expected to rise 32 percent this year and 46 percent in 2027.
Activity in North America is likewise expected to go up by 29 percent this year and around 36 percent come next year; European buyers, however, are still opting to err on the side of caution.
Overall, growth expectations for the sector see it strengthening into 2027, with 37 percent anticipating increased program activity, the strongest forward indicator in this year’s outlook.
But it’s not all jam, so to speak: up to 38 percent of buyers continue to worry about inflation and cost escalation, particularly where the cost of accommodation, airfare, and food is concerned.
Likewise, we are looking at a palpable shift that takes incentive trips off the beaten path, delving into deeper and more personal experiences to ease the stress off the modern traveller.
Upcoming trends
Experts point out that global incentive travel will be defined by a shift toward slow travel, in that those awarded with incentive trips want them to be more authentic, immersive, personalised, and purpose-driven.
That said, incentive travel in 2026 may be characterised by three specific trends which are as follows:
- A foray into emergent destinations While many companies still treat their best performers to trips into major destinations like Tokyo and Bali, a growing number are shifting away from well-known (and often congested) destinations and into emergent locations. Rather than sun themselves on a beach in Bali, corporate groups may opt for a hike into the cooler, more temperate climate of Bandung; or shift from elephant watching in Chiang Mai to visits to the hippopotamus attraction in Chon Buri. Today’s incentive travel planners want travellers to get the most out of the experience without the stress common to popular areas; and this leads us to…
- Hyper-personalised trips Especially for smaller companies, knowing the personal preferences of individual employees goes a long way when it comes to planning incentive trips. Rather than a one-size-fits-all itinerary that will divide the attention of the group, planners now give participants a choice by joining breakout tours centred on their specific interests. This level of personalisation extends to any wellness options offered during the trip, enabling participants to relax, refresh, and recalibrate themselves away from the workplace;
- Getting into whycations Travel with a purpose: that’s how experts describe an emergent travel trend known as a whycation. Unlike conventional vacations or excursions, whycations are driven by purpose and are often tied in with a company’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives. Whycations may take on the form of a conservation safari in South Africa, a coastal renewal retreat paired with mangrove planting in the Philippines, even an expedition into First Nations traditions in Australia. Whycations in the context of incentive travel are meant to be transformative experiences which will enable participants to come away better than when they arrived.
More than just a reward for top-performing personnel, it could be that incentive travel will lead to significant changes in the workplace, changing the overall mindset into something aligned with sustainability, individual growth, and concern for the world around us.
