Two-thirds of German business travelers combine work and leisure—Chefsache Business Travel advises companies not only to accommodate bleisure but also to consciously incorporate it into their travel programs and employer strategies.
Staying two extra days after a trade show in Hamburg, or extending a client meeting in Barcelona by a weekend: For many business travelers, this has become the norm. Bleisure—the combination of business and leisure—has taken hold in the corporate world. Together with “workation,” it is increasingly being grouped under the term “blended travel”: forms of travel in which work and personal life intertwine. This shifts the question companies should be asking themselves. It’s less about whether they allow personal extensions and more about how thoughtfully they address the issue: Who is responsible for it, to whom should it apply, and how important is it in the context of business travel management and employer attractiveness?
According to a representative survey conducted in June 2026 of 3,000 business travelers by the Bavarian Center for Tourism (BZT) in cooperation with the GCB German Convention Bureau and the German Travel Management Association (VDR), 67 percent of German business travelers have already combined a business trip with a personal stay. Three-quarters of them plan to do so again in 2026. Furthermore, according to the respondents, two-thirds of companies already have guidelines or at least recommendations in place regarding this.
It’s worth taking an honest look at its significance. Fifty-one percent of those surveyed by the BZT say that bleisure greatly or very greatly increases an employer’s appeal. However, flexible work hours and remote work carry even more weight for them. Bleisure is thus a component of employer strategy—but not a substitute for good working conditions. It is precisely this perspective that belongs at the table where HR and travel management make decisions together.
The rules themselves also deserve a second look. According to the BZT, while the majority adheres to guidelines when they don’t align with personal travel plans, a good quarter seeks an exception. For travel managers, this is an indication of where policy and practice diverge.
