SEATTLE — Expedia Group recently released Journeys for All: An Expedia Group Study on Inclusion in Travel, a first-of-its-kind study that equips the travel industry with key insights and evidence-based recommendations to improve the travel experience for underserved groups, including Black, Latino, LGBTQIA+ and travellers with disabilities.
Underserved travellers are a large part of the global market, but their needs are often overlooked. Underserved groups in the U.S. are projected to grow significantly, increasing their impact on the travel market. As such, the travel industry has an obligation to meet the needs of underserved travellers and develop efforts that discourage barriers such as bias, discrimination and lack of personal safety. Expedia Group’s new report highlights urgent industry challenges and key insights to drive progress:
- Forty-two per cent of underserved travellers feel limited by their identities when planning travel;
- Five plus hours is the extra time underserved travellers spend researching to plan trips, including to ensure services and destinations are safe, welcoming and accessible;
- Only 16 per cent of travellers feel that travel advertising and promotions represent them authentically;
- Seventy-one per cent of underserved travellers say it’s important that travel company staff be well-trained on diversity and inclusion issues and topics;
- Nearly three out of four underserved travellers are more likely to book with companies demonstrating a commitment to diversity and inclusion.
The study assesses the needs of underserved groups across all three stages of the travel journey – planning, in-transit and at destination. According to the report, 20 per cent of LGBTQIA+ travellers with disabilities say travel advertisements don’t represent them at all. More than a quarter (26 per cent) of Latino travellers with disabilities say they feel a need to hide their identities when travelling to and from their destination, compared to just seven per cent of the general population. This data reinforces that most travellers identify with more than one under-represented group and have multiple reasons for concerns when travelling.
“Evolving business strategies to create more welcoming and inclusive travel experiences should be an industry imperative,” says Greg Schulze, Chief Commercial Officer and president, Travel Partnerships and Media, Expedia Group. “It not only improves the traveller experience, but it’s also good for business. This study invites the industry to come together and take action because everyone should be able to experience the joy of travel and its ability to strengthen connections and broaden horizons.”
