Cultural Tourism is real on the Web

For many years, I've attended seminars and conferences talking about how to encourage arts participation when people travel. Clearly culturally oriented folks who take in theater in their home towns, would potentially do the same when they travel.

Today, Burst Media put put out a report that has some compelling data for arts marketers who are interested in motivating cultural tourism.  Check this out:

"Among respondents who will utilize the Internet to plan their upcoming travel, nearly half (47.2%) say the Internet will be their primary travel resource. Among age segments, respondents 25-34 years are most likely to say the Internet will be their primary travel resource (53.2%); and respondents 55 years and older are least likely (41.4%).

Additionally, half (51.8%) of respondents reporting household income (HHI) of $75,000-$99,999, and nearly two-thirds (63.1%) of respondents reporting HHI of $100,000 or more say the Internet will be their primary travel resource.   

Yet again, more research that validates that the audience going to arts events IS online, and IS using the Web to plan their leisure travel.   

Indeed, just this morning, in my planning my own London visit next week, I first turned to this terrific site (www.whatsonstage.com) to look at what theater is on in London.

Comments

[Curtis Gibbs]

It was my understanding of how the Internet had the ability to influence cultural tourism was the motivation for envisioning www.ExperienceLA.com in 1999, gettig it funded in 2001, designed in 2002, and launched in 2003.