Milan – Seeking to reignite the appeal of business travel, tourism promoter Yes Milano is highlighting bleisure trips in its latest campaign. Titled Not in Milano, the international campaign positions the Italian city of Milan as being key destination for enjoyable business trips. Purposely showcasing a slower approach to business travel, the core idea is to highlight how workers can soak up the city while also being there for work.
By rejecting stereotypes associated with business travel, this initiative engages audiences through lifestyle cues that are usually reserved for pleasure-based travel. In turn, this strategy also supports Milan’s long-term approach to tourism. ‘The goal is to increase the quality of tourism here, rather than the number of tourists,’ comments Luca Martinazzoli, general manager of Milano & Partners, the official promotional agency of the city. ‘Being mainly driven by business purposes, this type of tourism is sustainable with the city.’
While business travel has been largely halted during the pandemic, ongoing remote arrangements mean that there are fresh opportunities to connect with Wandering Workers.
Strategic opportunity
From hotels to restaurants, leisure and hospitality venues can take new approaches to bleisure tourism by providing spaces for co-working, convenient dining options, or itineraries that encourage a balance of work and leisure