Travel Advisor Innovation Report: How to Tap Into the Multicultural Travel Market

While most Asian-Americans may not vacation in the lavish style depicted in the movie Crazy Rich Asians, they are part of a fast-growing, well-traveled population that should be on the radar screen of travel advisors looking for new customers. The same can be said about Hispanic-Americans, now one-fifth of the U.S. population and responsible for $73 billion in travel spend per year.

Multicultural marketing expert Terry Soto, a consultant to the National Tour Association and numerous Fortune 500 companies, outlines why travel advisors should take note of the vast potential among multiethnic consumers. Not only do they take more and longer vacations than their white non-Hispanic counterparts, they are also twice as likely to book through a travel agent, she said.

Tapping into ethnic markets, however, has its challenges. Travel advisors need to be tech-savvy and sensitive to the needs of consumers who tend to travel with extended family, some of whom may not be fluent in English. It’s an investment, but one in sync with the future of U.S. demographics.

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Any suggestions for the coverage you would like to see are welcome. Feel free to contact me at mbl@skift.com.

— Maria Lenhart, Travel Advisor Editor

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Skift Travel Advisor Editor Maria Lenhart [mbl@skift.com] curates the Skift Travel Advisor Innovation Report. Skift emails the newsletter every Tuesday. Have a story idea? Or a juicy news tip? Want to share a memo? Send her an email.