Work and leisure travel no longer sit in separate boxes. Three fast-emerging categories now blur that boundary: bleisure travellers who tack holiday time onto business trips, workation seekers who pair remote working with a desirable location, and digital nomads who live and work wherever they happen to be. These are among the quickest-growing parts of the market, yet most travel teams have no real playbook for selling to them.
Defining the Emerging Categories
Bleisure Travel
Definition: Business travellers who stretch a work trip into something more by tacking on a weekend, inviting a partner along, or arranging activities around their meetings.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| % of business travellers who add leisure | 60-65% | GBTA (Global Business Travel Association) |
| Average leisure extension | 2-3 nights | Expedia Group |
| Additional spend on leisure component | £400-£1,200 | Booking.com for Business |
| Growth rate | 15-20% annually | Skift Research |
Workations
Definition: Trips built mainly around blending remote work with a holiday setting, usually lasting one to four weeks in a place that offers dependable internet and agreeable surroundings.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| % of remote workers who've taken a workation | 42% | Booking.com Travel Trends |
| Average workation length | 10-14 days | Airbnb |
| Average daily spend | £80-£180 | Industry estimates |
| Preferred destinations | Portugal, Spain, Bali, Thailand, Mexico | Nomad List |
| Growth rate | 25-35% annually | Phocuswright |
Digital Nomads
Definition: Location-independent professionals who keep travelling for long stretches, or indefinitely, relying on technology to do their jobs from one destination after another.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Estimated global digital nomads | 35-40 million | MBO Partners |
| Average annual travel spend | £15,000-£25,000 | Nomad List |
| Average stay per destination | 1-3 months | Nomad surveys |
| Key requirements | Wi-Fi, co-working spaces, visa flexibility | Consistently cited |
| Growth rate | 20-30% annually | MBO Partners |
The Commercial Case for Paying Attention
The Revenue Opportunity
| Segment | Market Size (Global) | Average Transaction Value | Growth Trajectory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bleisure | $200-$300 billion | £500-£1,500 (leisure extension) | Steady growth (15-20%) |
| Workation | $50-$80 billion | £1,500-£4,000 (full trip) | Rapid growth (25-35%) |
| Digital nomad | $40-$60 billion | £2,000-£5,000 (per destination stay) | Rapid growth (20-30%) |
Where the Conventional Sales Script Breaks Down
What these customers want sits awkwardly alongside the usual holiday-booking routine:
| Traditional Approach | Why It Fails |
|---|---|
| "How many nights would you like?" | Workation length is flexible and often undefined |
| "Which resort appeals to you?" | They need Wi-Fi speed, desk space, and time zone compatibility |
| "Would you like half board or all inclusive?" | They need kitchen facilities and local restaurants for long stays |
| "Here's the hotel transfer" | They need apartment, coliving, or extended-stay options |
| Standard travel insurance | They need cover that includes remote work, equipment, and long stays |
The Training Gap
The Blind Spots in Agent Knowledge
| Knowledge Gap | Consequence |
|---|---|
| What these segments need | Agents recommend wrong products |
| How to identify these customers | Opportunity goes unrecognised |
| Relevant product options | Agents default to standard packages |
| Pricing and packaging | Can't construct appropriate offers |
| Legal and visa considerations | Miss critical compliance issues |
| How to sell value | Undersell the proposition |
The Skills Agents Have to Build
| Topic | Training Content |
|---|---|
| Segment identification | Questions that uncover work-travel hybrid needs |
| Product requirements | Wi-Fi, workspace, long-stay accommodation, local logistics |
| Destination suitability | Which destinations work for workations and why |
| Legal awareness | Visa requirements for working remotely (e.g., Digital Nomad Visas) |
| Insurance | Specialist policies for remote workers abroad |
| Selling techniques | How to package and present work-travel options |
Building a Training Programme
Training Module 1: Reading the Customer
The first skill is spotting work-travel hybrid customers from the way they frame their enquiry:
| Customer Signal | What It Means | Agent Response |
|---|---|---|
| "I need good Wi-Fi" | Potential workation or bleisure | "Will you be working while you're away?" |
| "I'm thinking of a longer trip" | Possible workation or digital nomad | "Interesting — what's driving the longer stay?" |
| "I have a conference in Barcelona" | Bleisure opportunity | "Would you like to extend your stay? Barcelona is perfect for a few extra days" |
| "We're thinking of a month somewhere warm" | Workation or extended leisure | "That sounds wonderful. Will either of you be working remotely?" |
AI roleplay lets agents rehearse these exchanges, building the instinct to recognise and gently probe hybrid travel needs in conversation.
Training Module 2: Product Knowledge
| Accommodation Type | When to Recommend | Key Selling Points |
|---|---|---|
| Extended-stay hotels | Bleisure (1-5 extra nights) | Business facilities + leisure amenities |
| Serviced apartments | Workation (1-4 weeks) | Kitchen, desk space, residential feel |
| Coliving spaces | Digital nomads (1-3 months) | Community, workspace, flexible terms |
| Boutique hotels with co-working | Premium workation | Design, service, dedicated workspace |
| Villa/holiday home | Family workation | Space, privacy, outdoor workspace |
Training Module 3: Destination Suitability
A destination that suits a holiday may be hopeless for working remotely:
| Factor | Requirements | Example Destinations |
|---|---|---|
| Internet reliability | 50+ Mbps consistently available | Portugal, Estonia, South Korea, Bali |
| Time zone compatibility | Within 3 hours of client's business hours | Europe for UK businesses; SE Asia for flexible hours |
| Cost of living | Affordable for extended stays | Portugal, Mexico, Thailand, Colombia |
| Visa/work permissions | Legal to work remotely | Digital nomad visa countries: Portugal, Spain, Croatia, Barbados |
| Quality of life | Cafés, co-working, healthcare, safety | Lisbon, Chiang Mai, Medellín, Split |
| Climate | Comfortable year-round or seasonal | Varies — match to travel dates |
Training Module 4: Legal and Compliance
There are non-negotiable things every agent should understand:
| Issue | What Agents Need to Know |
|---|---|
| Visa requirements | Many countries now offer Digital Nomad Visas; standard tourist visas may not cover remote work |
| Tax implications | Extended stays can trigger tax residency; agents should advise customers to seek professional tax advice |
| Insurance | Standard travel insurance may not cover remote work equipment, extended stays, or work-related liability |
| Health cover | Long-stay travellers may need private health insurance beyond standard travel medical cover |
| Employment law | Some employer policies restrict where employees can work remotely |
Important: Agents are not legal advisors. Their job is to raise the relevant considerations and point customers towards professional advice, never to hand out definitive legal rulings.
Training Module 5: Selling Techniques
| Selling Strategy | Application |
|---|---|
| Value packaging | "A month in Lisbon costs less than your London rent — and you're working with ocean views" |
| Co-traveller positioning | "Your partner can explore the city while you work mornings, then you explore together afternoons" |
| Productivity framing | "Studies show remote workers in new environments are more productive and creative" |
| Experience bundling | Include weekend activities, cooking classes, and local experiences with workation packages |
| Insurance as value | Position specialist insurance as peace-of-mind, not additional cost |
AI coaching can review how agents pitch work-travel options and nudge them towards selling the value rather than reeling off a list of features.
Putting It Into Practice
For Tour Operators
| Action | Priority |
|---|---|
| Develop workation packages with suitable accommodation partners | High |
| Create agent training modules on work-travel segments | High |
| Add Wi-Fi speed and workspace details to product descriptions | High |
| Partner with co-working space networks | Medium |
| Develop 2-4 week extended-stay options | Medium |
For Travel Agencies
| Action | Priority |
|---|---|
| Train agents to identify and sell to work-travel segments | High |
| Develop workation-specific booking processes | Medium |
| Build specialist knowledge of Digital Nomad Visa countries | Medium |
| Create roleplay scenarios for work-travel conversations | High |
| Establish insurance partnerships for long-stay and remote-work cover | Medium |
For Hotels
| Action | Priority |
|---|---|
| Create workation packages (weekly/monthly rates + workspace) | High |
| Train reservations and sales teams on workation needs | High |
| Upgrade Wi-Fi and create dedicated workspace areas | High |
| Partner with local co-working spaces | Medium |
| Market directly to remote-work communities | Medium |
For DMOs
| Action | Priority |
|---|---|
| Position destination for workation market | High |
| Create agent training on destination suitability for work-travel | High |
| Develop digital nomad infrastructure data (Wi-Fi maps, co-working) | Medium |
| Lobby for Digital Nomad Visa (if not already available) | Medium-High |
| Market to remote-work communities and platforms | Medium |
None of this is a passing fad. What we are seeing is a lasting change in the way people fold work into travel. The operators, agencies and destinations that learn these customers, train their people for them, and sell to them with confidence will tap a rapidly expanding market that rivals are largely unprepared to handle.
Train your team for emerging segments with TravAI →
This article is part of our Travel Industry Trends series. Related reading:
- How Gen Z and Millennial Preferences Are Reshaping Travel
- What Is Experiential Travel?
- 15 Travel Technology Trends for the Next Five Years
