With the onset of the corporate event season, many planners are left wrestling with the quandary of where to have their event. We wanted to share some of this year’s “hot” incentive destinations based on customer feedback survey:
Aruba: Nestled just 18 miles north of the South American coast of Venezuela, this tiny island continues to be a strong incentive travel destination. A long-time popular cruise port, Aruba offers some of the most pristine beaches in the Caribbean and is loaded with available excursions and daily activities. Aruba offers extensive shopping options as well as casino & nightlife activities and its many resorts are the perfect fit for programs large or small.
San Juan, Puerto Rico: San Juan once again is re-claiming its birth as one of the top Caribbean incentive destinations. Long its advantage is its status as a U.S. territory – with more U.S. mainland flight options to more destinations than any other Caribbean island (without the hassle of customs). San Juan is loaded with Latin flair, and rich with history as you peruse the streets of Old San Juan. The destination also hosts a large cruise port and has long been a gathering point or stopover for groups headed on an Incentive Cruise around the Caribbean.
Guancaste, Costa Rica: Located roughly an hour west of the Daniel Oduber Quiros International Airport in Liberia, Costa Rica on the countries Pacific coast lie a variety of secluded luxury resorts from the J.W. Marriott to The Four Seasons. Costa Rica’s Pacific beaches remain widely unpopulated or tarnished by heavy tourism traffic. Costa Rica’s rich rain forests offer a variety of unique wildlife and scenery and a different assortment of guest activities such as zip lining along the lush tree lines. The destination is also home to many fine Pacific surf spots!
Cabo San Lucas/Cancun/Puerto Vallarta, Mexico: Once again gaining in popularity are the beachside resorts on both the Caribbean Peninsula & Pacific coast. Popular resorts such as the Fairmont Mayakoba and Banyan Tree offer a secluded setting in the Riviera Maya area with the convenience of easy access to the many activities and amenities in neighboring Cancun to the north or Playa Del Carmen to the south. Due west on the pacific coast lie a plethora of other resort options and different activities including Scuba Diving, fishing, etc. High-end resorts such as the One & Only Palmilia on the Los Cabos corridor or the Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit in Puerto Vallarta offer guests a relaxing all-inclusive luxury resort experience, skimping no detail. These Pacific cities also tend to draw a slightly more mature tourist and have a more relaxed environment than its “Spring Break” neighbor to the east in Cancun.
Atlantis Paradise Island, Bahamas: This long-time crowd pleaser continues to dominate as one of the world’s most popular Incentive resorts. The palatial resort offers a plethora of hotel & room options, and their convenient location under 200 miles away from southeastern Florida makes it extremely easy to get to. Atlantis’ main draw is it activities and attractions which appeal to all ages. The resort features a full aquatics center offering guests many interactive sea-life experiences such as swimming with Dolphins or Sea Lions. Looking for something a little more fun and family oriented? Check out the Aquaventure water park which features an extensive network of lazy river, many tube & slide attractions and its main feature slide the “Mayan Leap of Faith” which sends you plummeting through a clear tube in an actual live shark tank! Atlantis of course offers a wide variety of adult activities with a full onsite casino as well as a variety of bars and live entertainment, as well as a huge portfolio of dining options including restaurants from celebrity chefs. Though the resort seemingly has everything you could ever need, if you are looking to get off-property just cross the bridge back to downtown Nassau where you can stroll around and check out some of the local artisan street markets.
The team at ChoiceGifts® seamlessly helps corporate meeting planners execute onsite gifting experiences and source event ‘swag’ quite frequently at resorts in the above-mentioned destination as well as a ton of other events worldwide from Europe to Dubai to Australia and everything in between.
This is a guest post by Brian Boucher. For the past 6 years Brian, a self-coined Incentive Travel Gift Expert, has worked at The Corporate Marketplace with promotional products & incentive companies as well as corporate meeting planners to fulfil their various program gifting needs. Boucher heads up TCMPi’s rapidly expanding ChoiceGifts® service, deploying event staff to run onsite fitting experiences world-wide for many of the worlds finest brands including; Ray-Ban, Alex and Ani, Oakley, and Tommy Bahama as well as custom drop-ship gift galleries. ChoiceGifts® for Events, a service of The Corporate Marketplace®, gives event planners the ability to offer a wide range of brand name gift options to their customers – from fashion-forward sunglasses and jewelry, to the hottest electronics.
“Image source – Flickr , usage under Creative Commons license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)”