Cashing In on Cultural Differences in Travel

African Americans enjoy group tours and are more likely than most travelers to rent a car. Hispanic Americans stay longer than the average traveler and are more likely to use a hotel. Asian Americans are big on flying and spend more on vacation than any other ethnic group.

Those are some of the findings of the Minority Traveler Report, the first comprehensive survey of minority groups and their travel patterns, released this year by the Washington, D.C.-based Travel Industry Assn.

More similarities than differences exist in American travelers of any color or ethnicity. Still, niche marketing is the wave of the future in the travel business, and companies that understand subtle cultural differences stand to cash in on the fast-growing minority travel market.

“Minority groups are particularly important to the travel industry because they represent opportunity,” said William Norman, president and chief executive officer of the TIA.

The TIA says minorities currently represent 26% of the U.S. population. They will make up nearly half the population by 2050.

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Marla Dickerson covers tourism for The Times. She can be reached at (714) 966-5670 and at marla.dickerson@latimes.com