Incentive trips back on corporate rewards list

From flash mob moments at the Eiffel Tower and in the middle of Trafalgar Square to cricket matches on a pitch in Switzerland and dining on glaciers in Iceland, some companies are going the whole hog to retain and reward their top performers of the last financial year through travel.

Travel platforms said companies in sectors such as consumer, auto and financial services are back to splurging on travel incentive trips for employees, after a three-year gap caused due to pandemic-led disruptions.

April to August is the usual period for incentive travel when top performers of the previous fiscal year are rewarded.


Meera Charnalia, executive vice president and head of MICE at Thomas Cook (India), said the pandemic has given companies a renewed appreciation of the positive impact of physical meets compared to virtual and hybrid events, and this is driving strong MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) travel demand as a means to reward and recognise top performers and catalyse business growth. For most companies, demand has seen a rebound in spite of supply side constraints.

“Seeing strong corporate interest for distinctive elements, we have curated unique experiences such as exciting flash mobs at iconic locations like the Eiffel Tower and in the middle of Trafalgar Square; an exclusive cocktails-dinner with an Australian cricket legend at the hallowed MCG stadium; a specially curated Swiss chocolate train experience where the entire train was reserved for our MICE group; dining on a glacier in Iceland and a mountain top in the Alps besides winery festivals in Australia,” she added.

Given how well sectors such as auto, construction, consumer goods, infrastructure and others have performed, this year also looks very promising for MICE travel, said Raj Rishi Singh, chief business officer, corporate and customer experience at MakeMyTrip.

“The pent-up demand for team meetings, product launches and partner meets, coupled with availability of an accrued kitty for rewards and recognition by companies through Covid, helped the MICE industry bounce back and grow exceptionally in the last financial year. We handled MICE events of more than 85 domestic and international destinations, with more than 130 corporate clients,” he added.

DreamSetGo has hosted over 5,000 corporate travellers at various games over the past one year.


“Post-pandemic, corporates seek unique and memorable experiences to incentivise and reward their teams. In this scenario, sports experiences have emerged as a valuable tool for team building,” said Monish Shah, founder and chief business officer at DreamSetGo.

"Our customers have also expressed keen interest in live sporting experiences such as Manchester United games at the Premier League, the Rugby World Cup, Formula One, Cricket World Test Championship, as well as the upcoming Paris Olympics in 2024,” he added.

EaseMyTrip cofounder Rikant Pittie said more corporates have been partnering with the company as their travel partner since last year.

With unspent budgets and a strong travel desire, there has been a substantial increase in group sizes compared to pre-pandemic levels, said SD Nandakumar, president and country head of corporate tours at SOTC Travel.

“To enhance sales and productivity, despite increased costs including airfares and rate of exchange due to inflation and various geopolitical events, more corporates have been encouraging incentive trips for their key growth contributors this year, that is employees and distributors, and are willing to increase their budgets by up to 30%,” he added.