Articles tagged “incentive travel”

Some companies with incentive programs scheduled in the Middle East region are staying put — at least, for now. 

With its location in a high-altitude cold desert, where most hotels just added heat 10 years ago, Ladakh was an unlikely choice for an incentive group.

The M&I 15 reflects a sector remade by consolidation — and stress-tested by the Covid pandemic. As mergers and rebrands compressed the field, capabilities have increasingly converged, leaving differentiation to come from corporate structure, service model, and where each firm chooses to specialize. Scale remains the entry ticket, but the gaps in focus are real enough to make buyers look twice at who they’re partnering with.

New IRF research reveals that a majority of corporations will see budget increases for their non-cash incentive programs in 2026, but not enough for half of them to keep up with the rate of inflation.

Recipients are required to pay taxes on incentive merchandise, trips, and even gift cards — not just on cash bonuses.

Generic trips are out. Custom choices, conscious travel, and a clear "return on experience" are the new minimum requirements for incentive travel programs.

The IRF’s annual survey of top-performing companies was full of surprises, like the discovery that the perceived value of an incentive reward is more important than the cost.

As head of global rewards & recognition at Rubrik and a long-time leader at the Incentive Research Foundation, Morgan Crain has learned that one of her strongest assets is her authenticity.

The annual Incentive Travel Index, released this week at IMEX, reflects mounting concerns around rising costs and global instability, along with “shrinking optimism.”

Incentive planners’ use of AI is changing from making their jobs more efficient to customizing programs and analyzing their impact on sales. Still, some refuse to try it.