Travel Habits of U.S. Hispanics Unveiled at NAHJ Convention

PHOENIX – A new survey on the travel habits of U.S. Hispanics conducted by Best Western International revealed mobile is a critical tool for Hispanic travelers on the go, with more than a quarter of respondents reporting they have booked travel reservations via mobile phones in the past year.

Survey results also found 62 percent of respondents use their mobile phone to research their travel options, and 28 percent of travelers rely on their mobile phone to discover nearby attractions around their hotel.

Best Western announced its survey findings at the 30th annual National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) convention in San Antonio, Texas today.

“We learned that Hispanics are increasingly digitally savvy and comfortable researching and booking travel online and via mobile,” said Felipe Carreras, director of eCommerce for Best Western International. “Our survey found eight out of ten Hispanics complete their travel bookings online.”

With the convenience of search engines, Meta travel search sites, social media, online travel agencies and brand websites, more than 90 percent of travelers research their options online before booking. Other survey findings indicated that 85 percent of Latino travelers are typically traveling primarily for leisure – either for vacation or to visit friends and family.

Carreras presented the survey results at the NAHJ convention as a participant of its “La Plaza Talks” speaker series.

The survey underscores that travel as a family affair is increasingly common with Hispanics. In fact, 70 percent of travelers said in the past year they have traveled with a family member from a younger generation, and 60 percent have traveled with a family member from an older generation. Of those who primarily travel for business, more than half (52 percent) are somewhat to very likely to bring family members along with them on a business trip.

“U.S. Hispanics are a crucial segment in today’s travel landscape, and these survey results reiterate the importance of brands catering to their specific needs and habits,” said Dorothy Dowling, senior vice president of marketing and sales for Best Western International. “For many Hispanics, those needs start with family travel. Best Western is proud to offer family friendly accommodations and a robust online presence for researching and booking travel.”

Additional Survey Highlights:

·         Almost 60 percent of U.S. Hispanic travelers are somewhat to very likely to extend a business trip by one or more days to add leisure time to the trip.

·         Forty-nine percent of travelers, who indicated the primary reason for the majority of their travel was business, stayed in hotels five or more times in the past year, compared to 18 percent of respondents who indicated the primary reason for the majority of their travel was vacation.

·         When traveling for both business and leisure, access to free Wi-Fi is most important, followed by complimentary breakfast and/or happy hour specials.

·         Of those who travel with a family member who is part of an older generation, 71 percent do the travel research. Additionally, 44 percent primarily pay for the trip when traveling with a family member of an older generation.