iolite group’s groundbreaking consumer study, The Multicultural Multiplier: Cultural Diversity’s Impact on Travel Intent, explores the impact that cultural diversity has on traveler intentions. The research was fielded in early 2022 and targeted leisure travelers from the U.S., Canada, Mexico, U.K. and China to understand the impact that showcasing cultural diversity has on traveler audiences, uncover insights to enhance marketing effectiveness for culturally diverse experiences and define profiles of cultural curious travelers. Miles, along with Destinations International and Brand USA, had the opportunity to support this critical study, which you can find a summary of here.
Three key highlights from this hot-off-the-press research include:
1. Travelers’ top three motivations for travel are the desire to: destress, return to normalcy and/or have an action-packed, lively trip.
- Destressing and relaxation are top priorities for most markets; however Chinese travelers are more motivated to immerse themselves in different cultures and be outdoors.
2. Travelers prefer a mix of well-known and lesser-known experiences.
- While a portion of travelers prefer to stick to either visiting well-known areas/activities or exploring hidden gems, a majority of all markets prefer to experience a mix of both popular and lesser-known areas and activities.
3. Showcasing cultural diversity is not only the right thing to do; it’s the right business thing to do.
- People focused on multicultural experiences in the United States, Canada and the U.K. are inclined to spend more money per trip than those focused on more general experiences. Culturally curious travelers in the U.S. said they would spend 36% more per person, per night than others and in the U.K., 46% more per person, per night.
For more insights like these, watch iolite group Founder & CEO Carroll Rheem’s presentation of the study’s key findings:
