Historic / Cultural
Travel Market Overview

Original Reference: http://www.tia.org/researchpubs/executive_summaries_historic_cultural.html

Cultural, arts, historic, and heritage activities or events are quite popular among U.S. travelers today. In fact, most (81%) U.S. adults who took at least one trip of 50 miles or more, one way, away from home in the past year included at least one such activity or event while traveling. This equates to more than half (56%) of the U.S. adult population who indicate they included at least one cultural, arts, historic, or heritage activity or event while on a trip in the past year. This represents 118.1 million adult historic/cultural travelers. These historic/cultural traveling households took over 216.8 million historic/cultural person-trips in 2002 (one person-trip equals one person on one trip 50 miles or more, one-way, away from home or including an overnight stay) or one in five (21%) of all domestic person-trips. One quarter of historic/cultural travelers are frequent historic/cultural travelers taking three or more of these trips a year.

Visiting a designated historic site and/or attending a performing arts event are among the most popular historic/cultural activities to do while traveling. Nearly half of adults who traveled in the past year report they attended a performing arts event during any past-year trips. Four in ten adults who traveled in the past year report they visited a designated historic site, such as a building, landmark, home, or monument.

Historic/cultural trips are more likely than the average U.S. trip to include higher spending. Historic/cultural trips have an above-average propensity to include air transportation and/or a rental car as a secondary mode of transportation. These trips are also more likely than average to last seven nights or longer and include a stay at hotels, motels, or bed and breakfasts. So, it is not surprising that households taking historic/cultural trips spend more on their trip (excluding transportation to the destination), on average, than traveling households overall. Demographically, historic/cultural households are somewhat older than the average U.S. traveling household, and they are more likely to be retired.

Historic/cultural travelers want to enrich their lives with new travel experiences. Most historic/cultural travelers agree that trips where they can learn something new are more memorable to them. Over half agree that they have hobbies and interests that have an influence on where they choose to travel and/or that on their trips they enjoy going to places that are popular with the local residents.

Profile of Historic/Cultural Trips in the U.S.

Historic/cultural trips are more often generated by Baby Boomer households, and by households that are educated and/or affluent. Four in ten historic/cultural trips are taken by Baby Boomer households (age 35-54). Six in ten historic/cultural trips are generated by households with a college degree, and one third by households with an annual household income of $75,000 or more. One third of trips are generated by households with children.

Historic/cultural trips taken by affluent households are more likely than those taken by less affluent households to include paid lodging and air transportation. Among income groups, historic/cultural trips taken by affluent households are the most likely to include air transportation and involve the use of a rental car as a secondary mode of transportation. Their historic/cultural trips also have the longest average duration, and their overnight trips are the most likely to involve a stay in a hotel, motel, or bed and breakfast establishment.

Most historic/cultural travel is by auto and nearly all historic/cultural travel involves an overnight stay. A car or truck is the most prevalent mode of transportation on historic/cultural trips; one in five person-trips include air transportation. Overnight trips last an avera2ge of 5.2 nights and most often include a stay at hotels, motels, or bed and breakfast establishments.

Historic/cultural trips including air transportation generate more trip spending than do other modes of transportation. As expected, historic/cultural travel that includes air transportation is much more likely than travel by other modes to include lodging in a hotel, motel, or bed and breakfast, last seven nights or longer, and have higher trip spending.

The South Atlantic, Pacific, and East North Central areas of the U.S. are the most popular destinations for historic/cultural travel. Historic/cultural trips are more likely than U.S. trips in general to be taken outside the Census division of residence. Travelers on historic/cultural trips are most likely to travel to destinations in the South Atlantic, Pacific, or East North Central divisions.

Planning Historic/Cultural Trips

Many say a specific historic/cultural activity was a main reason for taking a historic/cultural trip. A majority of historic/cultural travelers claim that a specific historic/cultural activity or event was a main reason for taking at least one such trip during the past year.

Aside from "word-of-mouth" information, historic/cultural travelers most often look at Internet websites to gather travel information. When it comes to planning historic/cultural trips, historic/cultural travelers most often consult friends, relatives, or colleagues and/or look at Internet websites to gather travel information. Interestingly, frequent historic/cultural travelers are much more likely than those taking one or two of these trips a year to use Internet websites for historic/cultural trip planning.

Specific cultural, arts, historic, or heritage activities or events can influence choice of destination and scheduling of trip. Three in ten historic/cultural travelers say the destination of their most recent trip was influenced by a specific cultural/historic activity. One in five say the timing of their most recent trip was influenced by such activities at the destination.

Many historic/cultural travelers plan trips at the "last-minute." A majority of historic/cultural travelers say they planned their most recent historic/cultural trip at the last-minute, that is, within one month or less of taking the trip.

Many historic/cultural travelers extend the duration of their trip specifically to participate in such activities. One in five say they planned the activities both before the trip and at the destination. Four in ten say they added extra time to their trip because of an historic/cultural activity.