• Tokyo ranks first out of 26 cities in the region for its combinationof business and leisure--or bleisure--appeal for travellers
• Singapore, Sydney, Hong Kong and Melbourne join the Japanesecapital as "five-star" bleisure destinations, based on a quantitative barometerincluded in the new EIU study
• Shanghai and Beijing rank higher in the bleisure barometerthan corresponding liveability measures suggest, propelled by rapidly improvingbusiness infrastructure
• Some smaller Australian cities stumble on aspects likeopportunity for cultural experiences for business travellers, despite highscores on rankings measuring liveability

SINGAPORE - MediaOutReach - 1 March 2019 - As corporate travel booms acrossAsia-Pacific, the concept of bleisure is gaining traction, spurring theregion's cities to better integrate opportunities for leisure amid busybusiness trips. The 2019 bleisurebarometer: Asia's best cities for work and recreation, sponsored by AllNippon Airways, reveals that while Asia's best bleisure destinations providethe right balance of business activity, high-quality infrastructure andtop-flight leisure experiences, a number of less obvious choices stand out aswell.

Asia's top cities for bleisure

Citieswere scored out of five possible points, with scores tabulated from responsesof a survey of 1,500 business travellers from around the world, asking themabout a variety of factors impacting business travel, such as ease oftransportation and availability of consumer goods and services. Scores wereused to determine rankings as well as star groupings, with five-star citiesscoring above the average and one-star cities scoring below.

Onesignificant finding from the study is that Asia's best cities for bleisure arenot necessarily its most liveable. Although the specific questions used in thesurvey were inspired by ourGlobal Liveability Index, some striking differencesemerge. For example, wealthy cities such as Auckland, New Zealand, andAdelaide, Australia, sit atop the league tables for liveability, butdrastically underperform on bleisure. Meanwhile, Shanghai and Beijing, whilerarely considered highly liveable, show their rising business might in thebleisure study, filling the four-star tier.

Thestudy also assesses specific aspects of the bleisure experience, such as whatmakes for a successful business trip and what travellers look for in theirleisurely diversions. On the former question, ease of transportation takes thetop spot, followed closely by safety and orderliness of streets/urban areas andquality of business facilities. On the question of leisure activities, diningout won by a large margin, with visiting local historical or heritage sites andgoing to an art museum/gallery ranking second and third.

Accordingto Naka Kondo, editor of the report: "Cities in Asia-Pacific should take note:facilitating leisure experiences for corporate travellers can be the key todifferentiating in a crowded business travel market. Some of the top cities inour bleisure barometer are already world leaders in this regard, while otherscan learn from the best in improving access to the intersection of business andleisure travel in the region."

Thereport, including full scoring and star bracket methodology, as well as an infographicand video, can be found at: https://fivestarcities.economist.com/?utm_source=PRMO     

Aboutthe research

InDecember 2018-January 2019, The Economist Intelligence Unit conducted a surveyof 1,500 business travellers, sponsored by All Nippon Airways, to assess the qualityof bleisure experiences--including both ease of doing business and quality ofleisure activities--across 34 cities in Asia. Cities receiving fewer than 50responses were excluded from the final analysis, resulting in 26 cities in thefinal list. Cities were assigned scores out of five points; scores were thenused to determine rankings and placement in star groupings, from one to fivestars. City scores on corresponding indicators in the Global Liveability Index werenot tabulated into the final bleisure scores but are presented in the whitepaper for comparison.

About The Economist Intelligence Unit

The EIU is the thought leadership, research and analysis division of TheEconomist Group and the world leader in global business intelligence forexecutives. We uncover novel and forward-looking perspectives with access toover 650 expert analysts and editors across 200 countries worldwide. Moreinformation can be found on www.eiuperspectives.economist.com. Follow us on Twitter,LinkedIn, and Facebook

About ANA

Foundedin 1952, ANA is currently the largest Japanese airline, operating 78international routes and 118 domestic routes. ANA is a multi-winner of the"Airline of the Year" award (Air Transport World), and has maintained itsprestigious five-star ratings by SKYTRAX for the past six years. ANA offers aunique dual hub model which enables passengers to travel to Tokyo and connectto various destinations throughout Japan, and also offers same-day connectionsbetween various North American, Asian and Chinese cities. For more information,please refer to the following link: https://www.ana.co.jp/group/en/