The rise of WORKING RETREATS and their opportunities for tourism

Corporate retreats, “work & play” holidays, work-cation, or simply working retreats are some of the ways this trend is generally known. It’s a new practice used by companies to increase creativity, and productivity, lighting up the passion among the members of a work team. At the same time, they enjoy a destination, sometimes well-known, while others can be an off-the-beaten-path.

But what does a working retreat consist of?

Essentially it is a meeting or event of a limited duration involving all or part of the members of a company, generally carried out in natural areas and far away from the workplace. The team participants have common motivations and interests. Apart from working, one of the main objectives of these meetings is to improve and strengthen relationships between team members and dedicate part of that time to leisure.

Within mountains, forests, or beaches, working in nature fosters an environment where teams learn to work together, get inspired, and recharged. Then, all this will help strengthen the company's corporate culture.?

Nonetheless, this practice is not new, and already in the 80s, companies like NeXT, led by Steve Jobs, practiced work retreats. The Automattic Company (the people behind Wordpress.com) held a meeting every year in September for a long time. Since then, the benefits of this job activity have brought a working environment that allows companies to balance work, generate brainstorms, and carry out leisure activities.

The rise of a tourism trend

Fortunately, for the tourism industry, these types of trips are becoming increasingly requested in a pandemic era. With teleworking, flexibility, and isolation from colleagues, it is more challenging for companies to maintain a working culture and foster the organization's values and teamwork. Thus, many businesses are using working retreats as an excuse to meet and work in a peaceful and private location that allows them to work and enjoy a travel destination.

Which are the benefits a working retreat offers to organizations?

As tourism businesses that develop products to fulfill the needs of our travelers and clients, we must take into consideration the benefits that work retreats bring to companies, so we can design products and pair them with destinations to enhance these benefits:

1. Promotes learning and development: All workers need to increase their knowledge and skills to feel motivated. Investing in the development and growth of employees will lead to the more outstanding commitment and productivity in the team. Learning activities can even go beyond professional topics, such as learning to meditate to manage work stress in difficult situations in the office, and so on.
2. Work and personal life balance: Learning to relax after a day at work helps prevent illness. But when no more free days are available, participating in these "work holidays" will enable participants to take a break in a different place than the office or home.
3. Get new experiences: Visiting new destinations, experiencing once-in-a-lifetime experiences, and participating in new ventures will help employees feel better and more valued, turning them into professionals with more energy and positivity.
4. Promotes innovation, creativity, and productivity: Leaving the office is the ideal excuse to develop creativity and innovation. In this environment, people connect, learn, and inspire each other, creating new ideas through collective thinking.
5. Happier employees: company retreats significantly improve the bonds between work team members. The team becomes more efficient by improving relationships and communication so that everything will flow more positively. And by enhancing relationships, your members will be happier.

1. Enhancement of the company's image: A happy work team will automatically improve the company's vision and public relations. An improved image will have a positive impact on the minds of customers.
2. Attract and retain talent: People in a work team are a company's best investment. They are the ones who contribute and create innovation, so it is essential to treat them well since they are the talent. Companies have learned by incorporating these retreats as innovative and intelligent activities by learning to be flexible and understanding that happiness is crucial for greater productivity and creativity within the team.

?Nowadays, technology and the world have given rise to greater freedom and new possibilities, such as remote work, network businesses, or multi-location projects, where the limits of office time and rest have been blurred. This hybrid concept has been created to balance work and leisure/family time. Thus, "work retreats" have become the perfect alternative where creativity and productivity come together in a work/leisure environment that allows people to connect and be more creative.

These retreats bring together a group of people with some common interests and motivations in a particular place far from their work habitat, even outside the big cities, and put them in immersive contact with nature, where work, vital, and leisure are mixed; they have been gaining more ground every day. With the help of expert tourism businesses, organizations can access unique destinations worldwide that, combined with qualified trainers and facilitators, can lead team members to integrate and connect them in their professional and personal purposes while living a travel adventure as a team.

Hence, for those looking for a travel expert in these working retreats, Link Experiences, a tailor-made tour operator based in Ecuador, can help you design an unforgettable experience within Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands. Contact us at [email protected] for more information.