Angela Giroux

When 42% of Americans say they prefer beer to wine or liquor – and it’s the third-most-popular beverage after water and tea – it makes perfect sense that many hospitality companies from the airport to the destination to the spa, have jumped on the beer wagon, seeking ways to set themselves apart. “Beer tourism is definitely a new phenomenon,” says Allan Wright, owner of Taste Vacations and organizer of the annual Beer Marketing & Tourism Conference.

Combining a leisure excursion with business travel, also known as “bleisure,” is growing in popularity among corporate travelers, and while the trend was pioneered by millennials as a way to save money on their short vacations, the majority of corporate travelers among baby boomers and Generation X are catching on.