g-Think | Issue 11 | The Awakening Traveler: A view from g-Think

Ecotourism, geotourism, adventure tourism, cultural tourism . . . the list goes on. The tourism industry is going through unprecedented change as travelers seek out the new, the unusual, and the meaningful. Armed with substantial research courtesy of the Internet, today’s travelers are empowered, savvy, and eager to have hands-on experiences. Generic travel—big hotel chains, mass-market tourist destinations, and packaged experiences—is being challenged by a desire for a more personalized experience. Specifically, individual values are impacting what consumers want from their travel experiences.

g-Think has been researching the growing phenomenon of the awakening consumer—those consumers who make purchasing choices based on a set of ethical and moral principles. Past issues of g-Think have looked at various themes that relate to this cohort: faith, ethics, education, and now travel.

The impact of awakening consumers is easy to see in the travel arena. These are the people who are leading the charge toward such phenomena as eco-friendly tourism, sustainability, and cultural sensitivity—in short, they are leaving soft imprints on the destinations they visit. In turn, travel providers are rapidly gearing up to respond to this market.

The awakening traveler eschews easy categorization. Just as awakening consumers fall along a spectrum, or continuum, so do awakening travelers. Some people go out of their ways to ensure that whatever they do while traveling protects the environment and enhances the communities they visit. Others are aware of the need to tread gently, but don’t actively seek out places and properties that offer such experiences. Still others do both: in one year, they may experience the joys of staying at an eco-lodge in Dominica, but also take a weekend break in Las Vegas. Finally, other people may simply travel for the sake of enjoying rare moments of self-reflection and the chance to recharge their batteries. Whatever the particulars, they are all awakening to something that is way beyond the traditional surf-and-sun travel experience.

Awakening travelers cut across traditionally defined consumer cohorts of boomers, gen-Xers, gen-Yers, Hispanic, African American, gay and so forth. Awakening travelers are found in all these groups to some degree or other.

This issue of g-Think takes a look at awakening travelers and highlights some of the trends that are occurring in the travel market in response to this growing cohort. In the United States alone, travel is a multibillion-dollar industry. Few involved in the industry can afford to ignore this growing group of increasingly influential consumers.