By its very nature, incentive travel should have an air of luxury and absolutely must be enticing in order for it to function as an incentive. It simply cannot be a run-of-the-mill trip that the potential participants could easily throw together themselves. Incentive travel packages must be memorable, meaningful, perfectly planned and expertly executed.
That being said, incentive travel planners are under increasing pressure to cut costs and deliver travel packages that fit into new, reduced travel budgets. As they struggle to meet the demands of their supervisors or client companies, while staying within budget, incentive travel planners are now constantly looking for ways to lower travel expenses. The trick is to find ways to cut costs without cutting corners.

Here are some ways that travel planners are adapting to the changes that have come with this economic downturn:

1. Opting for all-inclusive incentive cruise
2. Choosing lower-cost domestic and international destinations
3. Opting for lower-cost food, beverage and hotel choices
4. Planning more free time into the travel schedule, as opposed to offering multiple planned activities
5. Reducing the number and cost of pillow gifts, or cutting them out completely

When determining the best way for you to cut costs without cutting corners, keep in mind that a lower-cost destination choice coupled with upscale pillow gifts and luxury amenities will deliver a more memorable, enjoyable trip, as compared to opting for a stripped down travel package at a high-end destination.

Cruising can provide an excellent travel perspective to incentive winners.  An incentive cruise offers a variety of ships from which to choose, and luxury amenities such as spas, gourmet dining and sports facilities, in addition to meeting rooms.  

Planners will appreciate the pricing structure, as well.  Cruise meetings typically offer a savings of as much as 40 percent over land based hotel venues, since everything is included in one price.

Incentive travel buyers may choose one of three cruising options:

1. Full-ship charter – customization options are virtually unlimited with a full-ship charter.  Incentive buyers may charter a ship for groups of 50 to 1,000 or more people.  They can have the ship fly the company flag, select the itinerary (within certain limits), create their own shipboard agenda, and much more.
2. Half-ship charter – usually incentive planners will charter by deck or by cabin category.  They may also reserve a dining room or one seating exclusively for their group.
3. Groups – no customization options, a group cruise experience is similar to that of a hotel or resort incentive experience, but at as much as 40 percent less.

All inclusive pricing allows incentive buyers to get more for their budget on sea than on land, thanks to the all inclusive aspect of cruising. 

Seasite.com, the first online group cruise planning portal, allows planners capitalize on the value of cruise meetings and incentives. Cruising can slash the cost of land based venues by 25-40%, allowing planners to persevere with today’s shrinking budgets. Why not make your next corporate incentive event a meeting-at-sea ? Take a look at Seasite.com today!