The Incentive Travel Index (ITI) 2024 panel, moderated by Stephanie Harris, President of the Incentive Research Foundation (IRF), and Pádraic Gilligan, Head of Marketing for SITE, highlighted the latest trends and challenges facing the incentive travel industry. 

The panel included experts Maggie Worthington from Hilton Worldwide Sales, Jennifer Attersall of Destination Canada, and Justin Myers of Bishop-McCann. 

The panel launched the ITI 2024 report, which had a record-breaking 2,800 submissions globally. Key topics explored included growth and budgets, program inclusions, upcoming challenges, and top destination choices for 2025 and beyond, with a focus primarily on North American (NA) buyers. 

The discussion revealed a trend toward budget constraints, with two out of five programs facing inflationary pressures in 2025, though optimism increases slightly in 2026. However, uncertainty is on the rise, with European planners expressing even more caution than their North American counterparts.

One surprising trend was the rise of “free time” as the top success measure for incentive programs originating in North America, skyrocketing from eighth to first in rankings between 2023 and 2024. This shift suggests that North American participants now desire more autonomy within incentive programs. 

In contrast, regions like Asia-Pacific placed less emphasis on free time, revealing cultural differences in the perception of what makes a successful program. 

North American buyers were also shown to focus less on team-building and CSR activities, setting them apart from other regions.

Addressing long-term industry challenges, rising costs and attracting talent emerged as top concerns. 

However, there was a notable divergence between North American and European buyers on issues like sustainability. While sustainability and climate change rank highly as concerns in Europe, these concerns were significantly lower among North American buyers. 

The conversation also touched on staffing and workforce concerns, with IRF and SITE preparing to launch their Future Incentives Workforce initiative in response to these growing issues.

Finally, the discussion on destinations showed a strong preference among North American buyers for exploring new, untapped destinations in 2025 and 2026, with a clear shift toward second- and third-tier destinations. 

Cost has become an increasingly influential factor in destination selection, a shift from previous years when it was never the top consideration. 

The session also discussed how various factors, including cost, DEIAB initiatives, and carbon footprint, influence destination selection, noting again that sustainability metrics have seen reduced importance among North American buyers.