• Tokyo ranks first out of 26 cities in the region for its combination
  of business and leisure--or bleisure--appeal for travellers
• Singapore, Sydney, Hong Kong and Melbourne join the Japanese
  capital as "five-star" bleisure destinations, based on a quantitative barometer
  included in the new EIU study
• Shanghai and Beijing rank higher in the bleisure barometer
  than corresponding liveability measures suggest, propelled by rapidly improving
  business infrastructure
• Some smaller Australian cities stumble on aspects like
  opportunity for cultural experiences for business travellers, despite high
  scores on rankings measuring liveability

SINGAPORE -�Media
OutReach�- 1 March 2019 -�As corporate travel booms across
Asia-Pacific, the concept of bleisure is gaining traction, spurring the
region's cities to better integrate opportunities for leisure amid busy
business trips. The 2019 bleisure
barometer: Asia's best cities for work and recreation, sponsored by All
Nippon Airways, reveals that while Asia's best bleisure destinations provide
the right balance of business activity, high-quality infrastructure and
top-flight leisure experiences, a number of less obvious choices stand out as
well.

Asia's top cities for bleisure

�

Cities
were scored out of five possible points, with scores tabulated from responses
of a survey of 1,500 business travellers from around the world, asking them
about a variety of factors impacting business travel, such as ease of
transportation and availability of consumer goods and services. Scores were
used to determine rankings as well as star groupings, with five-star cities
scoring above the average and one-star cities scoring below.

�

One
significant finding from the study is that Asia's best cities for bleisure are
not necessarily its most liveable. Although the specific questions used in the
survey were inspired by ourGlobal Liveability Index, some striking differences
emerge. For example, wealthy cities such as Auckland, New Zealand, and
Adelaide, Australia, sit atop the league tables for liveability, but
drastically underperform on bleisure. Meanwhile, Shanghai and Beijing, while
rarely considered highly liveable, show their rising business might in the
bleisure study, filling the four-star tier.

The
study also assesses specific aspects of the bleisure experience, such as what
makes for a successful business trip and what travellers look for in their
leisurely diversions. On the former question, ease of transportation takes the
top spot, followed closely by safety and orderliness of streets/urban areas and
quality of business facilities. On the question of leisure activities, dining
out won by a large margin, with visiting local historical or heritage sites and
going to an art museum/gallery ranking second and third.

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

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

About
the research

In
December 2018-January 2019, The Economist Intelligence Unit conducted a survey
of 1,500 business travellers, sponsored by All Nippon Airways, to assess the quality
of bleisure experiences--including both ease of doing business and quality of
leisure activities--across 34 cities in Asia. Cities receiving fewer than 50
responses were excluded from the final analysis, resulting in 26 cities in the
final list. Cities were assigned scores out of five points; scores were then
used to determine rankings and placement in star groupings, from one to five
stars. City scores on corresponding indicators in the Global Liveability Index were
not tabulated into the final bleisure scores but are presented in the white
paper for comparison.

About The Economist Intelligence Unit

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

About ANA

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