Hawai‘i ranks third in survey By Phil Hayworth – The Garden island Hawai‘i ranked as the third most popular destination among all U.S. states for “multicultural” travelers, behind Florida and California, according to Yesawich, Pepperdine, Brown, and Russell/Yankelovich Partners in
Hawai‘i ranks third in survey
By Phil Hayworth – The Garden island
Hawai‘i ranked as the third most popular destination among all U.S. states for “multicultural” travelers, behind Florida and California, according to Yesawich, Pepperdine, Brown, and Russell/Yankelovich Partners in their 2004 Multicultural Traveler report.
What exactly is a multicultural traveler, you ask? It’s those in the survey who described themselves as “non-white,” according to YPBR. Specifically, 27 percent of them said they were interested in visiting Hawai‘i, compared to 20 percent of their “white” counterparts polled.
Other results from the poll: The report cites the Travel Industry Association’s finding that the number of trips taken by multicultural travelers is currently growing at 11 percent annually, seven times faster than the general leisure travel market, and the trend is likely to continue if only because the multicultural population, which already represents 30 percent of all U.S. adults, is growing faster than the rest of the population.
When comparing what is “very” or “extremely” important in a vacation experience, multicultural travelers cited many travel attributes/activities higher than their “white” counterparts. For example, “non-white” travelers have a higher degree of interest in:
- Eat different or unusual cuisine: 75 percent (55 percent).
- Stay at a hotel with a distinctive atmosphere: 61 percent (38 percent).
- Shop on vacation: 56 percent (36 percent).
- Go to spa: 54 percent (34 percent).
- Learn a new activity or skill: 51 percent (30 percent).
Non-white respondents were also three times as likely as white respondents to show interest in timeshares. And they showed heightened interest in gambling and theme parks, explaining the popularity of Florida and California.
“Multicultural travelers are significantly more likely to be family travelers than their white counterparts, with family reunions frequently stated as a primary motivation for leisure travel,” the report read.
