米旅行業界、女性や同性愛者に注目 / Breaking a Travel Stereotype

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更新2006年05月31日 18:49米国東部時間
旅行業界、女性や同性愛者に注目

　ビジネス旅行者と言えば男性が中心だったが、最近では女性や同性愛者なども増えている。そのため旅行の仕方にも変化が見られ、旅行業界は対応に追われている。

　男性旅行者は仕事を終えるとすぐに帰路に付く傾向が強い。一方、女性や同性愛者は仕事を終えても数日余分に滞在して自分の時間を作り、旅行先でより多くお金を使って楽しむ傾向が見られる。また中南米系移民は、出張のついでに帰省する人も多い。

　調査会社コミュニティ・マーケティング（サンフランシスコ）が国内旅行者を対象にした昨年の調査では、回答者3439人のうち28％が旅行先で楽しむために出張を１～２日延長したという。

　こうした状況を受けて、キンプトンホテルでは女性や同性愛者を意識した営業を展開している。例えば、約5000人の同性愛者に発信するニュースレターでは、エイズ活動資金を集めるレッド・リボン・キャンペーンなどのスポンサーであることを強調しているほか、同ホテルのある都市で行われる同性愛者の催し物などにも言及している。

　また、男性はホテルを決める時にマイルや得点プログラムを気にするが、女性は安全性や援助活動なども考慮する。そのため、同ホテルは今年３月、男女19万人向けのニュースレターで女性支援団体の支援を強調した。

　Wホテルは、女性客が突然夕食に行くことになっても対応できるよう、化粧道具やブランド物のドレスなどの必需品をそろえた「ワンダー・ウーマン」を販売している。ウィンダム・ホテルは、照明や安全対策、ベッドを改善したほか、洗面所に拡大鏡を付けて
いる。

　航空業界でも、アメリカン航空が昨年、同性愛者商工会議所のスポンサー契約などを通して同性愛者旅行者を対象にしたマーケティング に乗り出したほか、今年３月には女性客向けマーケティング責任者に女性を指名した。

　コンチネンタル航空は、催し物のスポンサーシップや中南米系の商工会議所との協力などを通して、中南米系向けのマーケティングを強化している。（ニューヨーク・タイムズ特約）

The New York Times
May 23, 2006
Itineraries
Breaking a Travel Stereotype
By MICHAEL T. LUONGO

The travel industry has long viewed frequent fliers as fitting a certain stereotype: hard-charging men who touch down in a city, stay only as long as necessary to get their job done and leave quickly with few, if any, traces.

But as the ranks of frequent fliers grow more diverse, travel companies are catering more to the needs and wants of women, as well as minorities and the more narrow niche of gay travelers.

In general, many companies say, these travelers want a little more comfort, and they tend to stay longer and spend more money in the cities they visit.

"Men have a 'fix it and leave' attitude," says Marybeth Bond, a consultant who has advised hotels on marketing to women. "Women will take more time for themselves than men if they are traveling for business. Men will rush home, but women will stay an extra day."

When she travels, Ms. Bond said, she wants to "feel I have taken a little bit of time for myself and incorporate a thing for pleasure," such as visiting art galleries after her work is done. Longer stays, of course, can make travelers more valuable customers.

Pete Garcia, vice president for Latin America at Continental Airlines, said changing demographics were reflected in travel patterns. As more Latinos move to the United States, he said, they often mix business with pleasure when visiting their home countries.

Continental's efforts to market more to the Latino community include sponsoring events like Cinco de Mayo festivals and the Edward James Olmos Latino Book and Family Festival. The airline has also worked with the United States-Brazil Business Council and the United States-Mexico Chamber of Commerce.

Community Marketing, a San Francisco firm that advises companies about gay travel marketing, said it surveyed 3,439 travelers in the United States last year and 28 percent said they had extended a business trip a day or two for leisure.

"That has something to do with the dual-income, no-kids," said Jerry McHugh, the firm's head of research and development.

The Kimpton Hotel chain is marketing more to gay and women travelers with its In Touch loyalty program, started in 2004. Through a newsletter it sends to about 5,000 gay clients, it highlights sponsorships of organizations like the Red Ribbon Campaign, which holds fund-raisers for H.I.V. and AIDS charities. It also mentions Gay Pride events in cities where it has hotels.

Kimpton, part of the Kimpton Hotel and Restaurant Group, also sends a general newsletter to 190,000 men and women who are members of its loyalty program. The chain's executives say male travelers generally give greater weight to miles and points programs when deciding where to stay, while many women travelers are equally interested in safety precautions and the organizations the hotel chain supports. In the newsletter, the chain has highlighted, for example, its support of Women's History Month in March, when Kimpton raised money for Dress for Success, a charity that helps underprivileged women find jobs and prepare for interviews.

The W Hotels chain started selling "Wonder Woman" hotel packages in October, which include emergency makeup kits and dresses designed by Diane von Furstenberg for businesswomen who might have to attend unexpected client dinners on their trips.

Jane Lehman, director of public relations for W Hotels, which is owned by Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, said the company had sold 618 such packages to date, generating more than $550,000 in revenue.

To attract more women, Wyndham Hotels has upgraded many of its amenities. Wyndham, a unit of Cendant, improved lighting and security, installed better beds and added magnifying mirrors in the bathroom.

The trick to catering to niche markets, said Cary J. Broussard, a consultant for Wyndham, is to make sure no group is alienated while "taking great ideas and implementing them for everybody."

As a sign of its intent to cater more to women travelers, American Airlines named Nora Linville director of women's sales and marketing in March. Ms. Linville said women were responsible for 70 percent of travel decisions.

"One of my key objectives is to integrate women's preferences and priorities into our marketing efforts," she said.

American, which is owned by AMR, started a marketing program aimed at gay business travelers in 2005. Its efforts include establishing sponsorship deals with Gay and Lesbian Chambers of Commerce; American has been the official airline sponsor of various chamber conventions.

Nearly 24,000 American companies belong to gay chambers, says Justin G. Nelson, president of the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, based in Washington.

American Airlines has also increased its marketing to other minority groups. For example, it has sponsored organizations like the United Negro College Fund and the Asian-American Chamber of Commerce.

The travel media have also picked up on the growing clout of women. On the cover of the May issue of Business Traveler magazine, a giant briefcase-toting woman towers over a cityscape with a cover line of "What Women Want."

The magazine's editor in chief, Eva Leonard, said that when the publication asked women if hotels met their travel needs, 65 percent of the respondents said no. Many said they wanted more personalized service and a less condescending attitude, better security and hallway lighting, more comfortable beds and healthier food choices.

She said bigger hotel chains were missing an opportunity, as women now seem more drawn to smaller boutique hotels known for their style and service. But this will change, Ms. Leonard said.

"As the number of female business travelers is growing and they're being vocal about their needs, I think it's just better for everybody," she said. "I think it's to everyone's benefit because, for the most part, they are changes that men appreciate, too."