ike all incentive travel professionals , I ’ m looking forward to better times in 2021 . Realistically , it cannot get any worse as the pandemic , has thoroughly devastated the incentive travel industry .

This was graphically illustrated by the Incentive Travel Industry Index ( ITII ) which showed activity down in 2020 by as much as 85 %. That only 7 % of our industry businesses shuttered completely in 2020 is credit to the dogged resilience of our collective character and , depending on where we ’ re located in the world , on very welcome government support .

However , if ITII depicts an industry on its knees , it ’ s not there only in desperate , hopeless supplication . It ’ s also on its knees in active reflection , asking itself big questions around identity , meaning and purpose .

In fairness , our self-interrogation pre-dates the pandemic . For some time now , many incentive travel professionals have being questioning what we do , particularly in the areas of equity , consumption , sustainability , climate justice and so on .

The pandemic has now accelerated these thought processes and ITII , a snap shot of pan-industry sentiment from September / October 2020 , shows definite signs of this type of thinking entering the main stream .

Previous ITII reports noted an increase in focus on soft power over hard dollars . However , as already highlighted in a previous column , this year , for the first time , hard dollar returns ( ROI , performance upticks etc ) are NOT ranked in first position as the ultimate metric for incentive travel success .

This year , soft power elements –

engagement , relationship etc - dominate the ranking , confirming how the metrics around success for incentive travel are being actively re-defined and infused with brand new identity , meaning and purpose .

This new thinking may also be seen when we look at programme design for incentive travel . In ITII 2019 incentive travel programmes were structured around cultural experiences , group dining experiences , teambuilding and luxury , ie , including something truly unique , a bucket list inclusion , in the programme . This combination of programme elements ensured both qualifier and corporate satisfaction . The programme was designed as a win / win for both qualifier , who got a brilliant travel experience and corporate sponsor , who got a better connected workforce .

When compared with ITII 2020 , however , a new , more purposeful incentive travel model is clearly emerging . Luxury and cultural experiences remain in the Top 4 rankings ( with luxury now rising from fourth to first position ) but group dining and teambuilding are replaced by CSR and wellness . The rise of CSR , in particular , highlights this change in priorities as corporations continue to favour travel rewards as part of their reward and recognition programme but now , decisively , want to travel with a conscience .

Overall , the top ranked programme inclusions as selected by our global community in 2020 place the emphasis on the intrinsic joy of travel and put the qualifier centre stage , building the programme around rejuvenation (‘ wellness ’) and destination discovery and delight , all peppered by notions of responsible travel and giving back to

Above : Pádraic Gilligan

“ If ITII depicts an industry on its knees , it ’ s not there only in desperate , supplication . It ’ s also on its knees in active reflection , asking itself big questions around identity , meaning and purpose .”

communities .

The ongoing impact of the pandemic has been like the biblical flood , with everything washed away without filter or discrimination . We ’ ve lost many precious things along the way and here I ’ m mainly thinking of the IP , the expertise and the great talent that may have migrated elsewhere , leaving our industry , in search of gainful employment elsewhere .

But we ’ re also losing the unnecessary and downright harmful things that we accumulated along the way - our conspicuous consumption , for example , our wastefulness , our obsession with financial metrics and returns , our poor record at work / life balance .

So , for 2021 I ’ m looking forward to being part of a kinder , more balanced , more empathetic industry that walks the walk in relation to ESG ( environmental / social / governance ) and leverages only benefits from the awesome , transformational power of travel experiences .